No ordinary morning
It’s a mid-April morning and I am standing at the sink washing my porridge pan. My phone starts to ring and I shake clammy oats from my hand and awkwardly answer with slippery fingers. A few seconds later the course of my life has changed in quite a momentous way.
I, along with arts organisation conFAB , have won funding to create a new piece of verbatim theatre based on interviews with gay male asylum seekers. The 7 September opening date seems horribly close.
An incredible, moving experience
Six months later, a week away from that date, I can’t wait to reveal this production. Through its creation I have met so many new people and heard their incredible and moving the stories.
The research took place in Scotland and in London, though I met those who volunteered for the project through two very different processes. In Scotland, the help and support of the Scottish Refugee Council was instrumental. In London, however, the process was completely different.
Finding participants in the most unexpected of places
In London the route into meeting people was less certain and began in the most unexpected of places – my dad’s old English teacher, Hubert. I talked with him and his wife Jane who had worked with unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors arriving in the UK. We ran through her contact list trying to think of someone who might be a link into the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) side of things. And that’s how we met Martin.
Martin
I met Martin in a central London cafe the next week. In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined such a helpful and incredible person. Not only did he appear to know numerous people who might volunteer, he appeared to know everyone who worked in LGBT asylum in London. His in depth knowledge on the cultural history of homosexuality around the world was fascinating and we connected over a belief that bringing the heart-stopping nature of these stories to the public would make them sit up and listen. He put me in contact with three out of the five men who I interviewed for the show.
Chris
Indeed I am also heavily indebted to Chris, a regular in the pub I was working in. He put me in touch with a friend who had been through the asylum process.
Clea
Midway through this process I spoke to Clea Langton at Ice and Fire Theatre company who specialise in human rights related verbatim work.
Clea felt I should be looking to do a maximum of three to five interviews – and panic set in. More and more names were coming forward – how was I going to process all this into a one hour show with three actors?
It was fortunate that in reality of course many people didn’t turn up or changed their minds. As the editing and writing process developed it became clear there was only room for three stories.
My discussions with Sam Rankin of The Equality Network, the seminar event at SOAS and the emotionally fraught Q&A session with the UK Border Agency (UKBA) at the legal firm Mishcon de Raya also proved to be highly insightful.
More than just a campaign piece
I always said I wanted to create something that was more than just a campaign piece; while I believe the show will create debate, I don’t pretend to have the answers to the issues it raises. Instead this is a production that pays homage to complex beauty of sexuality and the sheer force of will that those who have experienced persecution because of it must discover in order to live through and overcome their situation.
Some names have been changed to protect identities.
Book your place
Hearts Unspoken is at the Changing House, Tron Theatre, 8pm, 7 – 10 September, 2011
