Geography: Oceania > Australia and New Zealand > Australia
Year: 2017
Produced by: La Boite Theatre Company and MDA Ltd
Creative Team: Directed by Todd MacDonald; created with refugee and migrant performers living in Brisbaneo
Synopsis: The Village brings refugee and migrant residents of Brisbane onto the stage to recount experiences of leaving home and building new lives in Australia. Direct storytelling and the use of verbatim theatre allows each performer to retain the rhythm and emphasis of their own account. Memories of conflict sit beside descriptions of work or interrupted education. This shifts attention from the dramatic border crossing towards the longer processes of rebuilding social relationships after migration. The title presents belonging as something made through a community rather than granted immediately through obtaining migration status. The production also resists discussing refugees as a single group, preserving differences in age and reason for movement. By appearing themselves, the performers claim authority over their own stories.
Source: La Boite Theatre Company, production archive: https://laboite.com.au/about/history/2010/the-village La Boite Theatre Company, production programme: https://laboite.com.au/uploads/lb2017_village_program-a762b62.pdf