Mayfesto in full swing!

So as Mayfesto gets into full swing, is it actually making people think? The reviews are generally great and as the festival moves forward, ticket sales are going up and up. But what is the point we are making? Each show has its own personal views about the subjects in Hand. Drumhead had a successful post show discussion last night where the legal and moral implications of legalised torture in the face of terrorism were raised. The bar has been packed each night with actors and audience deep in conversation.
There is a great crossover between audience and performer at the Tron and so people have been discussing not only the issues raised by the plays but effect of these stories on the actors. How does one effectively present the characters and stories? How far must an actor go to truly portray the character they represent?

The Politics of Performance

As we find ourselves in the midst of a general election you would be forgiven for assuming that the launch of Mayfesto was strategic in its timing but as Andy Arnold has pointed out, this was merely serendipitous.

However, as the nation turns its collective focus on politics, it does provide an appropriate backdrop for Mayfesto and the work being presented under this banner.

Unlike the politicians of the day Mayfesto has no hidden agenda; its remit is simply to tell stories, real stories about real people caught up in the inevitable tumult of conflict derived from political decision making. Mayfesto and the artists involved are not nailing their flags to the wall and expecting you to follow suit but rather presenting you with the truth of the human condition, with a reflection on the personal effects of manmade corruptions like war, tyranny and governance gone awry.

“What theatre does, at its best, is use artifice to tell fundamental truths. Whereas what politics does, at its worst, is hide the truth with cleverly fashioned artifice”.Chris Wilkinson [Guardian Theatre Blog – 22.04.2010]

DRUMHEAD is our contribution (Rhymes with Purple) – part theatrical performance, part live presentation and part investigation. A piece of site-specific theatre, it is a social and political commentary on humanity’s relationship with itself. With particular focus on the ramifications of legalised torture methods, DRUMHEAD has been a fact-finding mission and an intensive exploration into the limits of human cruelty.

The key question behind DRUMHEAD is “in the context of a civilised society that values human rights, is torture ever justified?” Our answer? Ambiguous...we are presenting you with the truth; it is up to you, the audience, to decide what you think.

When presented with the reality of what we, all of us, are capable of in defence of a belief or a dogma – whatever that may be – you are made to wonder at what point we threw our humanity out of the window. But what do you believe in? What do you love? If this was threatened in some way...what would you resort to and to what lengths would you go to justify your defence?

The development process for DRUMHEAD was a fascinating one but it was not always easy. By pulling into focus some sanctioned practises of various government regimes, including those that are closer to home than we would like, we were shining a light on ourselves. The subject of torture is no longer taboo but a live debate on our own collective apathy and compliance. That is a difficult notion to come to terms with.

Our research was practical as well as theoretical; when investigating the techniques used in “enhanced interrogation” (not torture) we found waterboarding the most alarming and it became the focus of our attention.

Waterboarding: an interrogation technique in which water is forced into a detainee's mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning.

In order to truly understand the effect of this practise the cast had to subject themselves to it. The results were harrowing but experiencing this in a controlled environment is one thing, to have it done against your will with no way of knowing when or if it’s going to stop would be entirely another.

Like all artists, we create things in order to understand and respond to the world around us. DRUMHEAD is a reaction, not a soapbox moment. We simply want to communicate the facts and have you make up your own mind.

Louise Oliver

CREATIVE DIRECTOR –

RHYMES WITH PURPLE

A performer's perspective.

Actress Maryam Hamidi, writes about her experiences as she prepares for her role in ‘Betrayed’.

As we reach our final week of rehearsals and tech week, more than ever I'm trying to absorb all the research that we have been building over the past month.

Like many people I went along with the assumption that Saddam was evil but the war in Iraq was wrong. This wasn’t because I had researched it personally, but because we seemed to be reaching a moral consensus...particularly people of my generation without ties to those in the military or a memory of Britain at war in the latter part of last century.

But as I read through the research pack that dramaturg Pamela McQueen gave us on day one, I had the feeling that this response was simply too obvious. Things cannot be this bad in Iraq! It’s the media that paints this gloomy picture of life after the fall of Saddam. Where are the
stories of hope and faith. What are the other dimensions of this conflict? Was a period of chaos necessary to the process of 'democracy building'? Or has the incompetence of the republican regime
of the US irrevocably destabilised this country?

I was born in neighbouring Iran and have always been fascinated by the multiple and subtle layers of dictatorship and control of the general populace. Where does the bar of what is acceptable sit? For
many the crimes of Saddam in Iraq were life changing...but for some in Iraq they were part of a bigger picture. Living in fear meant that the country operated in relative peace and efficiency (as long as the strict rules were adhered to!). It was the West's sanctions of the 90's that degraded the top class hospitals and factories.

Most Iraqi's perception of their country was moulded by state propaganda to the extent that this was the only democracy that they knew. America – the 'great Satan' - is the outside villain who can in symbolism be credited for galvanising insurgency during the war but also for the support of Saddam before it. The occupation of the coalition forces has represented the outside threat that the few, who can benefit from a weak Iraq, have preyed on.

The role of women in Iraqi society has also been a key issue for me as I am playing the only female role in Betrayed. The effect on women of growing Sunni/Shia violence in Iraq has been frightening. Thirty years ago Iraqi women had levels of freedom not dissimilar to women in the western world. How this has regressed into women being kidnapped, raped and murdered for not wearing hijab highlights just how chaotic things have become in Iraq. I read somewhere this week that you can measure levels of democracy in different countries by their treatment of women and gay people. This is somewhat 2 dimensional but it did make me think about the country that Iraq is becoming. Destabilised government and Sunni/Shia confrontation has snowballed regressive values very quickly...possibly one of the most frightening results of the war.


All this grappling for power topples the leadership but fails to consider the effects of this on government, laws, decision making, industry and economy. As if nobody realised that things would be messy if you wiped out a whole system of government!

I feel like I know Iraq well now...but the stories of hope and faith are still lined with a hint of fear and risk. But I'm glad they're there. Betrayed has been written by a journalist, not a playwright. There's
something quite special and un-theatrical about the interaction of the Iraqi interpreters with one another when they are alone. They talk about their dreams, some dream of living in Europe and others of doing amazing things in their own country.

It's hard to research something that is still happening. It will never tell you how people continue to find a way of living: of marrying, having kids, dreaming, praying. Now that the shock of war has worn off and an unstable Iraq has become normal for a great many. Life just seems to go on with violence swirling all around it.

The Mayfesto Audience

Who would the audience for a theatre festival like this be? Is it really the people who are directly affected by these situations on real life: the 'torture victim', the agoraphobic, the spy, the couple denied a civil marriage? Or is it the folk who have no concept of how it might feel to be a true victim of these global issues? Is it them who we are trying to convince? Or maybe its those people who have already made up their mind about their opinions and have no desire to change. Approaching them may be the greatest challenge but ultimately, if we can make them think, reconsider or give them justification for believing one way or another, surely we have done our job: teased out a response even if its just a solitary moment of hesitation.

signed:

King Tron

Human Rights and the BNP

The manifesto for the British Nationalist Party has recently been released in the wake of the up and coming general election. Halting all immigration and reintroducing capital punishment are but two of the proposed new policies of the party. For a brief summary, check out the BBC online article here.

Al Qaeda employ female suicide bombers

Female suicide bombers are now being employed by Al Qaeda. How will this affect the role of women in arab countries?
The telegraph states that the new suicide bombers are western looking women that will cause less suspicion in our heightened state of security.
Is it at all likely to change the opinion of women in the middle east? And how will this affect the West in this supposed 'war on terror'?

George Packer's article in The New Yorker

Betrayed is a play based on George Packer's article in the New Yorker. It discusses the lack of U.S. protection of Iraqi interpreters working on behalf of the Americans. You can read the original article here.