"as the mother of a brown boy..." - Rayne Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
CHICKENSHED’S critically acclaimed production of “as the mother of a brown boy…” commences its UK tour at the Rayne Theatre where it will be staged for two nights – Wednesday, May 7 and Thursday, May 8, 2008 (8pm).
“as the mother of a brown boy…”, which received outstanding reviews at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2007, is the true story of Mischa Niering, a nineteen year old former student of Chickenshed.
Told through the voice of his mother, it is the story of the life and tragic death of a nineteen year old mixed race boy and his struggle for identity in a multi-racial society.
Through dance, physical theatre, music and multimedia, the story will take audiences on a stark journey to find the truth behind an individual’s life: choices made; relationships lost and found; self-fulfilling prophecies; injustice; but most importantly, love.
The mother says: “as the mother of a brown boy I ask myself what have I created for him? What have I put upon him, that he doesn’t see his own reflection positively – where he is constantly shifting his gaze to focus and fit other people’s perceptions of him? What have I brought this son into, that I have to work that much harder to make his footprint seen?”
And of the production, Chickenshed says: “Chickenshed is passionate in the belief that Mischa’s death should not be in vain. We are telling his story the way that it was: the decisions he made and the paths he took, not always the right choices but not always actual choices either. We hope that Mischa’s story will encourage others to question the undercurrent of discrimination and subtlety of racism in society and give a voice to those involved in the pursuit of justice.”
“as the mother of a brown boy…” is directed by Christine Niering who was Mischa’s aunt, Mischa’s father is played by David Rubin who was Mischa’s Godfather, and many of the cast were Mischa’s friends.
For more information call the box office on 020 8292 9222 or visit the website.
The tour will continue to:
Exeter Northcott, Exeter – Saturday, May 10 at 8pm.
The Hawth Studio Theatre, Crawley – Thursday, May 15 at 7:45pm.
The Mets Arts Centre, Bury – Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30pm.
Toynbee Hall, London – Thursday, June 5 at 7:30pm and Friday, June 6.
Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff – Friday, June 20 at 8pm.
Also at Chickenshed – from Wednesday, July 2 to Saturday, July 19 – is SeaChange.
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