Do We Look like Refugees?! – a verbatim show created as part of the British Council Theatre Partnership project directed by Alecky Blythe, the English playwright was awarded three prizes at the Edinburgh Beyond Borders Festival 2010: First Fringe 2010 for innovation and outstanding new writing; Fringe Award for Outstanding Theatre and Best Cast Award.
The show tells the stories of Georgians who lost their homes after the 2008 August War. The play is part of the wider Theatre Partnership Project between the Rustaveli Theatre and the UK’s famous National Theatre, facilitated by the British Council and supported by BP.
The idea of creating the verbatim show was born in spring 2009 with the aim of offering a completely innovative theatre form that would be different and challenging to the Georgian audiences as well as to the theatre professionals. The stories of Georgian IDPs are told by five actors who act out of their skins giving stunning performances which transcend any barriers of language or culture to connect us directly with the refugees. On the headsets are edited recordings of interviews. The majority of the piece is in Georgian with subtitles. Folksongs punctuate the interviews. The songs stand alone, untranslated, but their meaning is clear.
In the verbatim show real people’s views, pains and aspirations are recorded and brought to an audience in a creative way. In autumn 2009, Alecky Blythe, a leading practitioner of verbatim theatre in the UK was invited to Georgia. For her play she chose the theme of Georgians who had to flee their homes as a result of the Russian attack against Georgia in August 2008. Alecky Blythe visited the settlements in Gori and Tserovani to record talks of those who are called a politically correct term Internally Displace Persons (IDPs) and edited these conversations into a rough cut. As a result, Do We Look like Refugees?! was ready to be premiered at the Rustaveli Theatre Experimental Hall on 6 December 2009.
Shortly afterwards, the Beyond Borders Festival, which works with artists from smaller nations that have been caught up in conflict, took interest in the verbatim piece with the aim of offering Do We Look like Refugees?! a platform at the Edinburgh 2010 Theatre Festival, Beyond Borders representatives contacted Paul Doubleday, the British Council Director South Caucasus, whose recommendations were decisive in selecting the show for the Festival.
During the 23 shows at the Assembly Rooms at George Street almost 2000 people attended the show. How did the audience respond to the real stories of Georgian Refugees? - As one of the leading actors in the show reflects, “Our fright that the play will not be understood has been dissolved. The reactions stunned us. Some left in tears. The play turned out to be a really emotional piece.”
Do We Look like Refugees?! was acclaimed as a powerful piece of verbatim theatre – “outstanding, stunning with virtuoso performances.” It received a number of 5-star reviews.
Clare Simpson from Fringe Review wrote: “While there is sadness and heartbreak here, what we are left with is not despondency but a sense of the overwhelming indomitability of the human spirit: the pride in national identity, the Georgian hospitality and humour. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a play in Georgian is not for you: this really is an experience not to be missed. Flawless performances, a well-constructed and eloquent script, well-judged use of projection and tight direction make Do We Look like Refugees?! a must-see.”
John Roberts, from the Public Reviews: “Do We Look like Refugees?! is ultimately a hugely rewarding experience with sensational acting, clear and concise direction and a weighty truth that can’t help but pull at your heart strings…Powerful in every sense of the word!”....
Jo Caird, Fest Magazine: “By presenting characters that live outside the constraints of narrative drama, Blythe ensures that there is no theatrical distraction from the subject at hand. No time is wasted on back stories or plot devices; the focus is entirely on the pain of displacement, the injustice of poverty, and the human ability to overcome these trials. Do We Look like Refugees!? is a noble piece of theatre, beautifully performed.”
Michael Bird, Regional Director SEE, who attended the show, wrote: “It’s a fine piece of theatre which deserves the success it had in Edinburgh and I’m proud the British Council has supported it.”
What strikes about this verbatim piece is that it is a tangible result of the British Council project that moved out of the limits of bi-literal co-operation of the Rustaveli Theatre and the National Theatre. It builds the capacity in the whole Georgian theatre sector and positions the British Council well to deliver a large scale project that has the ability to turn the constituent part of the project into another large scale project – a verbatim show – that started its independent existence by becoming a part of the Beyond Borders Festival in Edinburgh 2010.
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