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Britain's actors bring asylum stories to the stage: Asylum Monologues comes to 12 UK cities

12 June 2007

SOME of Britain’s best-loved actors are joining forces to give a voice to unheard asylum seekers and refugees across the country.

BAFTA-nominees Juliet Stevenson (Pierrepoint, Truly Madly Deeply, Bend it like Beckham) and Kwame Kwei Armah (Casualty, Elmina’s Kitchen) are just two of a host of actors standing up for asylum seekers and refugees.

They are taking part in performances called Asylum Monologues in London at the same time as local actors take to the stage in cities stretching from Glasgow to Exeter.

The acclaimed playwright Sir David Hare will also be introducing the performance taking place at the National Portrait Gallery.

The monologues, which will take place on Thursday June 21st, are first-hand testimonies from asylum seekers and refugees and are being staged for one night only as part of national Refugee Week celebrations.

Kwame Kwei Armah said: “I urge the British public to open their eyes to the harsh reality of what it is to seek asylum in the UK today. I urge them to pay attention to what asylum seekers and refugees have to say. They deserve our admiration and respect, not our intolerance and hostility.”

Juliet Stevenson said: “I am proud of many things about the UK, but I am not proud of how we treat asylum seekers and refugees. We must insist on a more humane system.’

The London performances will take place at the National Portrait Gallery, the Young Vic Theatre and Watermans Arts Centre while cities like Manchester, Leeds and Norwich will also stage monologues featuring well-known actors and musicians.

Asylum Monologues has been touring around the UK since it was launched at Amnesty International in June 2006, and is scripted by award-winning playwright and Artistic Director of Ice and Fire Theatre, Sonja Linden.

This series is a collaboration between Ice and Fire Theatre and the network Actors for Refugees, and is being supported by Refugee Action and UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. Sinead Cusack, Dan Stevens (The Line of Beauty), Hayley Atwell (Brideshead Revisited), Thusitha Jayasundera (The Bill), Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street), Shobu Kapoor (Eastenders) and Sam Spruell (London to Brighton) are amongst the professional actors that support the network.

Christine Bacon, the Director of Actors for Refugees, said: “As actors we can give faces and voices to the unseen and the unheard. We try to redress some of the misconceptions about asylum seekers and refugees with more accurate information and with personal stories that will appeal to many British audiences.

“This event, which is being supported by refugee organisations across the UK, will both move and inspire audiences and will be a chance to see some of Britain’s best-loved actors giving live performances in the heart of their communities.”

For more details about Actors for Refugees, visit www.iceandfire.co.uk/actorsforrefugees

Actors for Refugees enquiries: Christine Bacon, T: 0791 351 3567 or 020 7377 5299

Media enquiries: Julia Ravenscroft, press officer at Refugee Action, T: 0161 233 1956 or 07771 748 159, E: juliar@refugee-action.org.uk

What: Performance of Asylum Monologues

Where: The National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE AND

The Maria, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LZ AND Watermans Arts Centre, 40 High Street, Brentford TW8 0DS.

When: June 21 2007 at the National Portrait Gallery (invitation only) and 8.30pm at the Young Vic and 7.45pm at Waterman’s Arts Centre, 40 High Street, Brentford, TW8 ODS.

For regional events, see regional press releases.

Cost: FREE. The National Portrait Gallery event is by invitation only. Pre-booking is required for the Young Vic. Contact actors_for_refugees@yahoo.co.uk.

Notes:

One of Britain’s most esteemed actresses, Juliet Stevenson first came to public attention with her tour de force performance in Anthony Minghella's Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991). Stevenson has solidified her standing as one of Britain's best stage actresses, tackling roles from Yerma to Hedda Gabler and her award-winning portrayal of a victim of political torture who turns the tables on her tormentor in Death and the Maiden (1991). Juliet has appeared consistently on the English stage, as well as in films such as Bend it Like Beckham and Emma.

Kwame Kwei-Armah is an actor, playwright and singer. Born Ian Roberts in Hillingdon he changed his name in 1989 to adopt his family heritage. First came to prominence as paramedic Finlay Newton in Casualty (from 1999). As a playwright his play Elmina's Kitchen was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play (2003) and won the Evening Standard's Charles Wintour Most Promising Playwright Award 2003. Other awards include the Screen National Film and Television Award for Favourite TV Actor 2003. His second play Fix-Up was staged at the National Theatre in 2004.
Playwright Sir David Hare co-founded Portable Theatre Company, acting, directing and writing plays. His first play, Slag, was produced in 1970 and he went on to become resident dramatist at the Royal Court Theatre and the Nottingham Playhouse. He became associate director of the National Theatre in 1984 and was knighted in 1998. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for The Hours and has also received the BAFTA award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear, the Olivier Award, and the London Theatre Critics' Award. His recent plays in the UK include The Permanent Way and Stuff Happens, both at the National Theatre, and Amy’s View (1997) also returned to the West End in 2006. His latest play, The Vertical Hour, premiered on Broadway in 2006 and he recently directed The Year of Magical Thinking on Broadway. His recent book, Obedience, Struggle and Revolt (2005)is a collection of lectures about politics and art.
Refugee Week is a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages better understanding between communities. Refugee Week 2007 takes place from 18th to 24th June, visit www.refugeeweek.org.uk for more information.
Asylum Monologues was launched at Amnesty International in June 2006 and has reached almost 4,000 people in various parts of the UK to date.
Christine Bacon, the Director of Actors for Refugees, is originally from Australia where she coordinated a similar project which went on to be seen in over 500 different venues.
Cities hosting Asylum Monologues on 21 June are: Swansea, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham, Norwich, London, Sheffield, Liverpool, Exeter, Halifax.
Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and support their settlement through community development work. As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 25 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees and advised more than 40,000 asylum seekers and refugees last year. Actors for Refugees is supported through Refugee Action's Refugee Awareness Project, which aims to increase public understanding of asylum through workshops, talks and other local events. For more information visit www.refugee-action.org.uk.