A compelling new musical written by Boff Whalley and award-winning playwright Sarah Woods will come to the Lawrence Batley Theatre in October.
Red Ladder Theatre Company presents Sanctuary which charts one man’s plea for help and refuge at a time when not all strangers are welcomed.
The musical, which opens at Theatre Royal Wakefield on Thursday September 19, then heads on an eight-week tour. It comes to the Lawrence Batley Theatre on October 23 and 24.
Sanctuary tells the story of Alland (Aein Nasseri), a young Iranian man who begs to be given sanctuary at a church in northern England, sparking a community to react in all the ways each member believes to be right.
Molly (Ingrid Bolton-Gabrielsen), a young worker there, joins forces with vicar Fiona (Emily Chattle) to resist both the angry vigilantes and the hard-hearted authorities beyond the church walls to try to protect Alland.
Holding a special community service where voices on all sides sing their songs of redemption and condemnation, Fiona asks the question to everyone present: “Do we give Alland over to the State or live up to our well-versed ideals of compassion?”
Writer Sarah Woods said: “Boff and I have been collaborating for a number of years, including co-creating work with people seeking refuge and asylum, and this is a story that we both feel needed to be told.
“There is a lot of hostility in the media when it comes to immigration and we want to counter this narrative by offering audiences different viewpoints. I believe the stories we tell can really affect change in the world.”
Co-writer Boff Whalley said: “Working with refugees and asylum seekers over the past handful of years has been an education.
“We’re a nation in turmoil over immigration – a country at war with itself over small boats – whilst at the heart of it all are desperate people fleeing war and imprisonment, searching for hope and a place to call home.
“Music is such a powerful tool, and it can cross divides, it can patch up differences between people and that’s what ‘Sanctuary’ will hope to do.”
For more information and to book tickets visit Sanctuary – Red Ladder Theatre Company
