HOW TO BREAK OUT OF A DETENTION CENTRE Comes to BEZNĂ Theatre

Internalised racism, resistance & white guilt are explored in this compelling new production from BEZNĂ Theatre and Romanian theatre company Giuvlipen. The multilingual, form-bending work centres the near-invisible female experience in British immigration detention in the UK.

Performed in five languages (Romanian, Romani, Arabic, French and English) and inspired by real stories of migrants living in the UK from Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Cameroon and Sudan, How To Break Out Of A Detention Centre is an exercise in solidarity and resistance.

How to Break Out of a Detention Centre follows the lives of four women working in and experiencing detention in the UK. Faiza battles suicidal ideation after miscarrying in detention, Maria is fighting to be reunited with her children, Elena struggles with internalised racism & Kelly wavers between her duty as Detention Custody Officer & her desire to resist. The show looks at the actions of the individual, alongside actions of the state, the role of the detention centre and the staff who work there, the relationships between the women - as mothers, lovers and co-workers, whilst asking the audience to question their role as residents in the UK. Take a leap into the darkness, as the production asks what it takes to build resistance.

Mihaela Drăgan from Giuvlipen said: "As the Roma experience is almost invisible in the UK and there is no conversation about the discrimination against Roma migrants here, we want to finally talk and represent our community through this show. We hope it will give justice to migrants' stories and their experiences. Everyone who believes in human rights should know about these stories. It is our duty as artists to talk about uncomfortable issues and this show is very bold for showing the hidden horrific stories from the detention centre and at the same time revealing the connection between a shameful history of colonialism and the inhuman treatment against migrants applied as a result of UK policies."

Director Nico Vaccari said: "We're very excited to be at Riverside Studios for the first time with How To Break Out of a Detention Centre. 2023 sees British immigration law become even more authoritarian and hostile towards those seeking refuge in the UK. With How To... we hope to show both the external and internal experience of being female inside the British immigration system, a system that fails time and again to meet the human rights of those detained."

Producer Claire Gilbert said: "To co-produce with Giuvlipen is an amazing opportunity - to work between not just multiple languages but multiple theatre making practices and contexts gives us an opportunity to look at how we work here in the UK and the exchanges we can continue to make. It's an honour to be able to work with them, and collaborate for the first time."

Following the performance run of How To Break Out of a Detention Centre, Romanian company Giuvlipen will perform Trauma Kink on 10 and 11 March at 7.30pm with a matinee on Saturday at 4pm. Trauma Kink is a show exploring how early life and adult traumas define our perception of intimacy and pleasure. How can we transform the histories of abuse, queerness, sexual consent, gathered over a lifetime into a form of resistance?

The show opens the conversation about trauma in a natural way, through the stories of five artists who open up to the public in a performative approach that combines confessional elements with fiction and the hedonistic imaginary. A show about trauma and hedonism, beyond dictionary definitions, but mostly about the healing power of vulnerability. In Romanian with English subtitles.

With: Arhanghela, Mihaela Drăgan, Zita Moldovan, Kitty Rhea, Răzvan Rotaru

Text: Mihaela Drăgan

Directing & scenography: Gabriel Sandu

Scenography & lighting concept assistant: Miruna Croitoru

Video: Aural Eye

Choreography: Răzvan Rotaru

Music: Andrei Horjea

Costumes: Patricia Suciu

Photo credit: Amalia Drăniceanu

Music consultancy: Nicoleta Ghiță

Company information (How to Break Out of a Detention Centre)

Performers Lizzie Clarke, Mihaela Drăgan, Zita Moldovan and Alaa Taha

Writer Sînziana Cojocărescu

Dramaturg Mihaela Drăgan

Director Nico Vaccari

Assistant Director iulia isar

Stage Manager Laura Thomas

Set & Costume Designer Jida Akil

Lighting Designer Johanne Jensen

Sound Designer Dan Balfour

Video Designer Dan Light

Producer Claire Gilbert for BEZNĂ Theatre

To post a comment, you must register and login.