Sunday, March 01, 2009
Asylum Monologues at Leeds: Review
Find out more about Asylum Monologues, reviewed by Namali Samarasekara from Leeds STAR. Performed at Riley Smith Hall, Leeds University Union, Thursday 30th October, but you can stage it too!
Asylum Monologues is composed of three moving monologues; each one formed from the true words spoken by an asylum seeker of their plight to safety.
I think the key to the success of Asylum Monologues is its simplicity. There are no fancy props or sound effects. Just three actors and a musician. They give the asylum seekers a medium, a voice, through which they can convey just how traumatic the experiences of asylum seekers can be.
The stories that come out of the production are enough to challenge any audience member who views this group of people as ‘scroungers’ of the government and tax payer. The monologues contain interwoven stories of grief, violence, discrimination and torture. Many a student who came to the production voiced feelings of anger afterwards. They were shocked that “these things actually go on in the world.”
The monologues also contain stories of love, family and the compassion of strangers. Indeed, this is the inspiring part. After seeing Asylum Monologues, so many students want to help.
Asylum Monologues is a simple production with a big impact. This was the second time Leeds STAR had hosted the production. As well as raising over £300 for local refugee and asylum seeker charity, PAFRAS, through ticket sales, we also raised awareness of the real life issues of asylum seekers and refugees amongst Leeds students.
We hope to host Asylum Dialogues this term and would eagerly recommend any STAR group around the country to do the same.
Find out more about Actors for Human Rights from their website as well as on STAR’s Awareness Raising page
If you want to write a full review of a film or play (or something similar), then let us know and we can arrange to publish it as a news story in its own right.
Posted by STAR team on 01/03/2009 at 11:53 AM
