Brave Little Company's THE BIG 'US' PROJECT Celebrates Refugee Stories

THE BIG "US" PROJECT, a collaborative theatre piece created by more than 100 people from Houston's refugee and immigrant communities, will be performed on January 20, 2024, at the Southwest Multi-Service Center and on January 22 at the MATCH (Midtown Arts and Theatre Center Houston).

An initiative of Brave Little Company since 2018, THE BIG "US" process of community practice to develop new works by unheard voices is unparalleled in the United States. This year's performance, Story Threads, invites all of Houston to explore the ways stories connect us across generations, continents, and cultures. Like Houston's diverse communities, these threads weave together to create the fabric of our city. All tickets are pay-what-you-can, but reservations are required and space is limited. For more information or to get tickets, visit www.brave-little.com. 

"Refugees and immigrants are a huge part of our city's present-day life and our history, and their stories are essentially absent from Houston's stages," said Brave Little Company director and BIG "US" lead facilitator Troy Scheid. "To create a truly inclusive arts scene for Houston, we have to put aside ideas of 'us' and 'them' and focus on making our 'us' bigger. When refugees are targeted with increasingly xenophobic rhetoric and state violence, drawing attention to their voices and stories becomes even more critical." 

This year, THE BIG "US" PROJECT development process has included more than 150 members of Houston's refugee and immigrant communities, including people from 10 countries of origin outside the United States (Afghanistan, Colombia, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, and Sudan). The final piece will be presented in English, Spanish, Arabic, Dari/Farsi, and Pashto by approximately 85 performers of all ages and experience levels, including some return participants from previous years.

Additional BIG "US" facilitators include Houston-based professional artists Nidal Abou Diab, Najeebullah Besmil, Rachel H. Dickson, Gigi Fiori, Allison Funk, Neda Khan, Kristy Lozano, Jeana Magallón, and Chris Tennison. Community partners include The Alliance, Amaanah Refugee Services, Folkoholic Dance Theatre, Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, Living Hope Wheelchair Association, and Madres Del Parque.

The first performance will be held January 20 at the Southwest Multi-Service Center in Houston's Gulfton neighborhood, known as Houston's "Ellis Island" for its high concentration of recently arrived refugees and immigrants. The second performance, on January 22, will be at the MATCH in Midtown, in a professional theatre space.

Drawing on its longstanding relationship with Houston's refugee communities, in October 2023, Brave Little Company partnered with DiverseWorks to bring Little Amal to Burnett Bayland Park in Gulfton and draw attention to refugee issues and the displacement of children worldwide. 

THE BIG "US" PROJECT is generously funded in part by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas; and by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. Additional funding has been made possible by the Puffin Foundation, Ltd. and by individual contributors.

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