I have been most remiss. Zhvan is up and running once more, has been for a few weeks now, yet my blog has had no mention of it. I suppose that one reason for my negligence is that I was not the instigator of this particular project. Indeed, at one time I did not think I would be involved at all, then that my contribution would be as an actor alone, and only then was I appointed as director (though even here the direction ius something of a joint effort, not least since I cannot direct something that I am acting in, since a major role of the director is to act as a surrogate audience during rehearsals.
Allow me to explain. Hamed, longest serving member of the group, the only one to appear in all their productions, has written a play. Or rather, at the beginning of the rehearsal process, he had written part of a play, which deals with the story of his own journey to the UK. It has great promise, but like I say, it was unfinished – or rather, half-way complete – so a major task has been to encourage Hamed to finish it.
He has already recruited a cast (though this process has had its problems) partly through his involvement with Legal Aliens, another weekly theatre group. He has also, via Robin, his friend and former teacher with the ESU, managed to organise a rehearsal space, the slightly surreal setting of the Welsh Harp Sailing Association clubhouse (a contact of Robin’s.) And I have driven in for the past four weeks or so.
Like I say, recruitment has been an issue, with two people dropping out already. So far, Hamed has been able to manage this, and found others to replace them, but obviously this is not a situation which can continue to occur. But provided we keep the people we have so far, then we should be OK. One important addition to the group is Cristina from Venezuela, who clearly has some theatrical experience. And Roji, Gogo in our last production, is another valuable member.
The story play explores three different time frames: right now, with Hamed explaining his own story; referring back to his first arrival in the UK, and having two important interviews, one with an Immigration Officer (me), and one with a therapist (Cristina), which are shown overlapping. The third time-frame is a series of flashbacks back to Hamed’s journey through Europe. The play currently ends with his arrival in Italy, so I have suggested to him that actually this is the first half of a full-length play, with Act 2 as the rest of the journey to London.
The most important thing to relate about our progress so far is that Hamed, with some help, some guidance, has completed the play. Which is excellent news; apart from anything else, it now exists as a entity in its own right, is not necessarily dependent upon a production (though we shall do our best to give it a good one.) There is the tentative possibility of a performance at a Refugee Festival, organised by Brent Council, during Refugee Week (June 16 to 23) so that will be our aim.
