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Club Asylum
Director and Writer - John Retallack
Designed by The Company
Lighting Designer - Kevin McCallum
Company - macRobert and Company
of Angels
Venues & Dates - Opened to Tron theatre Glasgow Tour
dates at end of review
Run Time - Just over a hour no interval
Reviewer - Thelma Good
Lively yet thought provoking look
It's vibrant and shows not only the lives of asylum seekers but the people
in the estates they are placed in. It doesn't dodge the difficulties or
the prejudices the seekers recieve as they find themselves in a far off
land when they have become refugees from their orginal homelands. It's
played against a mix of Club sounds of varying pace including Public Domain's
Operation Bladeand Omaggio aSanmarco's Da Orationes Christi,
and I must mention Martin Doherty's beautifully sung Mother
Glasgow composed by Mike Marran.
Glasgow was started by a refugee we are reminded by St Mungo jauntily
played by Martin Docherty. Mungo, patron saint of Glasgow and lifeboats
pops up in various sections, sometimes gathering the refugees together
as they come to the Dear Green Place and later wearing Scotland's football
strip. Using the words gathered from aslym seekers from Somalia, Russia,
Palestine, Kosova, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka and Estonia we see
their encounters with others in the estate. We also hear too from locals,
some bitter at the way Glasgow took in the foreigners for monetary reward.
Even the racialist bigot gets to say his piece chillingly and convincingly
performed by Lee Hart, whose Scottish accent is spot on. The rest
of this talented, swift moving and very fit cast are Umar Ahmed, Jane
Howie and Cathleen McCarron.
Interspersed are dance sections sometimes illustrating, sometimes just
celebrating the raw energy of youth and the latter give a welcome break
from the harsh, heartbreaking stories. Funniest of all is Urban Conflict
3 where computer game style characters King of Siam, King Kurd and the
twins strive to survive the jungle here. Club Asylum is a lively yet thought
provoking look at why an asylum seeker seeks to live away from his own
dear place and how we, often descendants of immigrants or refugees ourselves,
recieve them.
© Thelma Good 7 February 2002
This dance and drama piece about young asylum seekers in Glasgow will
be touring to schools as well as venues throughout Scotland this month
and next.
Tour Details of public performances
8 - 10 Feb 2002 at 8pm The Tron Theatre Glasgow 0141 552 4267
13 Feb at 7:45pm Cumbernauld Theatre 01236 732887
14 Feb at 6pm Govan High School 0141 445 5044
15 & 16 Feb at 8pm macRobert@Cowane Theatre Stirling 01786 461081
25 Feb at 1:15pm The Lemon Tree Aberdeen 01224 642230
26 Feb at 10am The Lemon Tree Aberdeen 01224 642230
28 Feb at 7:30pm Lossiemonth High School 01343 815299
1 March at 7:30pm Speyside High School 01340 871641
5 March at 7pm St Roch's School Glasgow 0141 287 9829
6 March at 7pm Pollackshaws Burgh Hall Glasgow 0141 287 9829
7 March at 7pm Red Road Community Centre Glasgow 0141 287 9829
8 March at 7pm Maryhill community Central Hall Glasgow 0141 287 9829
11 March at 2pm Park Mains Theatre Erskine 0141 887 1010
12 March at 7pm Adam Smith Theatre Kirkcaldy 01592 412929
14 March 2pm Village Theatre East Kilbride 01355 248669
End of public performances
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