The Refugee

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Event The Refugee
Venue Sidetrack Theatre, Marrickville, NSW
First Date 19 June 1991
Last Date 22 June 1991
Dates Estimated No
Status Professional
World Premiere Yes
Part of a Tour Yes
Description "The Refugee was made as a response to public distrust and xenophobia about refugees being granted asylum in Australia. It consisted of five scenes, each devised around the company members' personal responses to the stories of five refugee women from different cultural backgrounds whom they had interviewed. It was designed to be performed in community spaces including outdoors with minimal lighting effects. The stage space was 10X10 meter empty space (except for a tall pole in one corner with a public broadcast speaker mounted on top). Props were carried on and off by the performers. The performers wore radio microphones and there was significant sound track. The show utilised a variety of performance languages from spoken narration, a Capella singing and silent movement. The sequence of stories was; The Wait based on an Afghani woman's experience of waiting outside a prison for news of her husband and son. Can Anyone Really Care About Someone They Don't even Know? based on recollections of a Chilean refugee. Paul's Story in which a young woman recounts her and her boyfriend's experience of capture, interrogation and torture following a demonstration against the Pinochet dictatorship. Lien's Story based on a Vietnamese refugee's experience of escaping Vietnam in a leaky boat. The Double Exile based on a number of first hand accounts of African women fleeing war."

Description Source Production Company
Primary Genre Theatre - Spoken Word
Secondary Genre Contemporary
Physical Theatre
Subjects Asylum Seekers
Border protection
Human Rights
Refugees
Women
Organisations
Contributors
Name Function Notes
Anne Rattey Costume Designer
Don Mamouney Designer
Regina Heilmann Devisor
Don Mamouney Devisor
Jai McHenry Devisor
Meme Thorne Devisor
Don Mamouney Director
Regina Heilmann Performer
Jai McHenry Performer
Meme Thorne Performer
Ian Bowie Production Manager
Barry Gamba Researcher
Peter Wells Sound Designer
Matthew Fargher Voice Coach
Resources
Text Nationality Australia
Production Nationality Australia
Further Information This short season was part of the 1991 International Refugee Week. The work also toured to schools, AMES colleges, universities and community venues from 1990 to 1992.
Event Status Completed
Data Source
Source Description
Sidetrack Archive Box 13
Flyer Digital resource held in the Sidetrack Performance Group Digital Archive at Macquarie University Library
Event Identifier 79151
Dataset AusStage