Car park hosts unique stage show on plight of refugees (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)
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Croydon hosts show as part of London International Festival of Theatre
3:30pm Wednesday 27th June 2012 in Leisure By Nick Hitchens
Director Hamid Pourazari preparing to stage Unfinished Dream
A multi-storey car park will become a theatre of dreams as renown Iranian director Hamid Pourazari opens his latest ambitious project.
The culmination of months of work with more than 70 Croydon residents and refugees will manifest itself in a stage show which will transform Q Park car park into a dreamscape.
The audience will be invited to wander across two floors of the Surrey Street car park meeting different performers and watching their stories unfold.
When Mark Ball, London International Festival of Theatre's (LIFT) artistic director, travelled to Iran in 2011 he heard word of an artist making work in a disused abattoir in South Tehran, separate to the official Fadji International Festival that he had originally travelled to see.
Seeing Hamid Pourazari working with 70 Afghan refugees of all ages, many who have never performed before, inspired Mark in a way no other work he saw on that trip did.
He says: "What I witnessed was a brilliant, exciting and compelling performance that was a moving reminder of the power of theatre to give voice to people on the margins of society.".
On the back of this LIFT invited Hamid to come to London to work with refugees in this global city.
Pourazari, says: "The area looked so much like downtown Tehran where our theatre workshop is.
"It is very dynamic with lots of people from different backgrounds and ages.
"I felt very close to that and liked it."
Following his work with marginalised communities in Tehran, Mr Pourazari wanted his new work to show a new side to refugees.
He says: "We want to emphasise the feelings of people and how they express their emotions.
"We want to throw open their imagination through their body language and movement."
Few of the actors have any stage experience, and most are refugees from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.
And the audience is drawn into the performance by journeying from Fairfield Halls, where the show is scheduled to begin, to the car park with the performers.
Audience members are asked to meet at Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon, 8pm June 28 to July 1, Tickets cost £5.50 to £11.50 call 0208 688 9291.
