MOHAMMED. To 5 December.
Nottinghamshire
MOHAMMED
by Peter Seligmann, Elsebeth Nielsen and Bo Larsen Translated by Elsebeth Nielsen and Robert Parr
Roundabout Theatre Company, Nottingham Playhouse Tour to 5 December 2003 School Performances only
Runs 1hr25min No interval
Review: Timothy Ramsden 21 November at Sycamore Junior School, Nottingham
Two-way drama exploring an asylum-seeking family's experience, giving young audiences a chance to feel involved with decisions and experiences.Originally an improvised theatre-in-education piece in Denmark, Mohammed deals with the much (and often prejudicially) discussed matter of asylum seekers. Unlike the Danish production, Andrew Breakwell's Roundabout version begins by introducing the actors as such - apparently, the original had them turn up as if actual Iranian exiles looking for a fresh school for their son Mohammed.
We never see the boy himself - except on some of the 5 still images shown early on, with the audience(around 50 year 5 or 6 pupils) asked to identify possible scenarios for the pictures and the feelings of the figures in them (a boy separate from others, or eating with them, two adults in a street etc.).
This is an interactive piece, facilitator (and former teacher) Ali Murray stopping the action to pose questions or solicit ideas. Events show Mohammed's father,Reza,arrested after a street-theatre satire on Iran's religious leaders, and the escape both of his wife, who arrives in England first, then Reza himself.
It's emphasised they are not illegal asylum-seekers, having awaited permission to enter England. Information about Iran - its geographical position in relation to various neighbouring countries - fills in some background. Giving a personal reality to a matter often depersonalised is a major purpose of the piece.
There's a brief pause for the audience to move about a bit midway. But the main way of holding attention is the contrast between Zoifa Afrazi's quietly responsible Maryam and Kourosh Asad's fizzing display as her emotionally-charged husband- you can believe he'd go and put on a show under the noses of a repressive regime, in a mixture of indignation ad high spirits. (Though the idea of political street-theatre might not be easily understood by all the young audience members).
Though Maryam has the more thorough command of English, Reza's never slow to express himself quickly - there's a fascinating substratum issue of the expectations Iranian men and women have of each other.
Asad blames his wife for letting Mohammed, when he was at his first English school, eat a pork sandwich (as depicted in the opening images) against Muslim rules. For Mohammed, eating the same as other pupils on the school trip is an important way to gain acceptance. For his mother, helping her son this way is uppermost in the mind. For Reza, who wasn't there, she was wrong. So, for the audience there are considerations to weigh up.
Pupil answers to questions on how characters might feel, or behave, are typed on to a screen, built into the traverse set and surrounded by walls of official forms. Bringing ICT in to help drama, these responses are subsequently recorded on a CD for the school to use, along with a script and images from the performances, in the literacy hour.
Unsurprisingly, Murray reports that pupil responses differ with the social and ethnic make-up of each school. However, Sycamore Junior's pupils. living in St Ann's, near Nottingham city centre, showed the piece is well-geared to elicit lively and thoughtful responses.
And when, in place of the imminently-arriving Mohammed, the latest recruit to the school is asked how they've been treated, Murray's readiness to deal with any response (there's no pre-planning here) indicates the confidence Roundabout has in their material.
Good news, anyway, on this occasion: the new boy from Afghanistan reported a very positive welcome into his new school's ethnically diverse population.
Maryam: Zoifa Afrazi
Reza: Kourosh Asad
Facilitator: Ali Murray
Director: Andrew Breakwell
Designer: Elb Hall
Composer/Musical Director: Matt Marks
Puppet consultant: Louise Bedford
2003-11-24 15:55:49