Sri Lanka Drama THE ISLAND NATION To Premiere At Arcola Theatre

ice&fire today announces the world première of THE ISLAND NATION, written by its Artistic Director Christine Bacon and directed by Ria Parry, which opens at the Arcola Theatre on 28 October, with previews from the 26 October, and runs until 19 November 2016.

'The world does not care. The world doesn't even know. There are European tourists sipping cocktails right now on the beaches in the south, who have no idea what's happening in the north.'

Sri Lanka, 2009. A 26-year civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers is coming to an end. The United Nations, the media and all independent witnesses are banned from entering the war zone.

Nila, a young Tamil woman, is trapped in rebel-held territory. Rebecca, a British aid worker, is desperate to get her out. Erik, a Norwegian politician, thinks he has a plan for peace. But nothing is certain - and nobody is safe.

Be transported to the heart of Sri Lanka to discover the shocking truths, and the extraordinary human sides, of the biggest unreported war story of our time.

Christine Bacon joined ice&fire in 2006 and in 2010 she was appointed as Artistic Director. Under her direction ice&fire was shortlisted for the prestigious Liberty (Arts) Award for its contribution to building a human rights culture in the UK. In 2006 she founded Actors for Human Rights, which has brought together more than 700 professional actors united together in activism and inspired a similar network in Germany. Her other works include Rendition Monologues, The Illegals, Even if We Lose Our Lives andOn The Record, which she co-wrote with Noah Birksted-Breen and which was directed by Michael Longhurst at the Arcola in 2011. She is a leading proponent of the collection and presentation of first hand testimony of human rights stories and her work has been seen at venues such as Southbank Centre, Soho Theatre and Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney.

Ria Parry is Joint Director of Iron Shoes. Her directing credits include Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern (Out of Joint, national tour), Bike (Salisbury Playhouse), Albion (Bush Theatre), The Girl Who Never Looked Up (National Theatre), On Golden Pond(Salisbury Playhouse), The Winter's Tale Reimagined (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Dr Korczak's Example (Unicorn Theatre),Tales of Winter (Southbank Centre) and Fen by Caryl Churchill (Finborough Theatre). In association with Iron Shoes, Parry directed the sell-out UK tour of the critically acclaimed Mad About The Boy by Gbolahan Obisesan and the Scotsman Fringe First award-winning Crush by Paul Charlton. She was also awarded the Leverhulme Bursary for Emerging Directors in 2010, becoming Resident Director at the National Theatre Studio.

Ice&fire was founded by award-winning playwright Sonja Linden in 2003 and is a theatrical company and charity specialising in the exploration of human rights stories through performance. It works closely with those impacted by human rights violations and aims to bring these issues to the forefront of public awareness in an innovative and compassionate way. Recent productions include The Nine O'Clock Slot (REd Gallery 2014), On the Record (Arcola Theatre, 2011) Even If We Lose Our Lives in association with Amnesty International and My Skype Family at Southbank Centre. The Island Nation is ice&fire's sixth full-scale original production for the stage.

Arcola Theatre is one of London's leading off-West End theatres. Locally engaged and internationally minded, Arcola stages a diverse programme of plays, operas and musicals. World-class productions from major artists appear alongside cutting-edge work from the most exciting emerging companies. Arcola delivers one of London's most extensive community engagement programmes, creating over 5000 opportunities every year. By providing research and development space to diverse artists, Arcola champions theatre that's more engaging and representative. Its pioneering environmental initiatives are internationally renowned, and aim to make Arcola the world's first carbon-neutral theatre.

Box Office: 020 7503 1646

www.iceandfire.co.uk

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