Freshy
(writer/director)

Produced by Upstart as part of DARE Festival
September 2017 Shoreditch Town Hall

Freshy was a piece I wrote about two young boys of Eritrean heritage. Simon was born and raised in the UK whilst Dawit had just arrived from Eritrea. We see them unfolding their day-to-day lifestyles and soon enough they recognize they aren’t so different after all. It was a story about brotherhood and judgement. A moment that stuck with me was when an audience member joined in the dancing to Eritrean music whilst wearing traditional clothing.

This project enlightened me to the lack of artists of Eritrean heritage. Performing arts isn’t really a respected career choice within my culture. Therefore, it’s critical to me that I can able to create more opportunities for creatives who have struggled in having a voice within their homes and communities.

The most refreshing but challenging part of the process was the language barriers. It forced me to become a translator and adapt exercises to play to the performers’ strengths. I did this by using Tigrinya in the performance and warm-ups. This project taught me how fundamental it is that each individual I was working with felt they were safe and comfortable at all times.

Key Creatives: Tekleweyni Ftwi, Sam T