In October I will travel to Beirut to begin work on Terrestrial Journeys.
Working with Syrian & Palestinian refugee women and a professional
creative team, I will lead daily practical workshops to poetically and
theatrically explore our collective experiences of migration.
Responding to stimuli such as poetry, visual art, film and stage design
we will work collaboratively to devise a theatrical installation to be
performed by them for a live audience in Beirut.
I strongly believe in the power of art, not only as a cathartic instrument but one for social change. Having worked on such theatre projects before, I have seen the positive effects on refugee women who have not only lived through tragedies of war, crossed borders and left much behind, but who also bear a terribly misogynistic society. It was these factors that compelled me to produce Terrestrial Journeys.
One of the women I worked with last year told me, "We have come from a war and we need to do something like this. We
have awful situations and this took the pressure off us, it eases the
pain. I was afraid in the beginning but now I can’t wait to come to
work the next day."
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19 year old mother of two, Warda, said “I want my husband to know I
can do anything. He says, 'you’re a woman, you have to stay at home’. I
just want him to understand and respect me a little. I
have talents and I don’t want to be trapped at home. This theatre
project has given me a sense of empowerment, I feel strong, now I am the
one who is working, not just him."
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Over the past year I have successfully secured funding as well as support from
Complicite Theatre Company but I still need to raise a further £6,000 (gulp!) in order to make this important project happen.
Your donations will contribute towards funding the following:
- performers' weekly salaries (twice the Lebanese minimum wage)
- daily travel to and from the refugee camps
- rehearsal studio hire costs
- performance venue hire costs
- props, costumes and set design purchases
- filming equipment (the performers will be encouraged to experiment with film making)
- travel and expenses for the creative team
- marketing and admin costs
- an 'end of project' celebratory dinner for the cast and creative team!
Any donation is appreciated, you don't have to stick to the suggested price tiers, please donate whatever you can afford. And if you can't afford to donate, please help by sharing this and encouraging others to share and contribute.
Thank you.
Dina
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