New play aims to tell the untold stories of International Protection applicants
It includes verbatim accounts of how asylum seekers arrived in Ireland, experienced local protests here, and navigated the complexities of the international protection system.
"Is Mise Éire Eile: I am another Ireland" was created by the Crooked House Theatre in Newbridge after they did some work with local international protection applicants.
The shows Producing Director Emily B Ditkovski said those who took part were keen for their stories to be told.
"Through a programme called 'among us' that we ran last year, we offered English classes and we worked on CVs with a lot of the folks in the local international protection process here in Direct Provision in Newbridge, and through that process, we got to know them, we got to know their stories and many of them wanted their stories to be told.
"They want people to understand why they're here. They want people to know their hopes and dreams and also that they're just like people trying to live their lives.
"They feel very seen on stage, which I think is really important, because if you're in direct provision, if you're in the system, you don't have time to go out and tell people why you're here. And that, frankly, isn't their job and shouldn't really even need to happen.
"So we've sort of taken it on ourselves, in the position of privilege that we have to do that," she said.
The company has used a method called verbatim theatre, which brings real life accounts in the words of the story teller to the stage.
It includes accounts of a man who fled with a friend from his home country. Both were kidnapped and had to work to pay off their debt before making the perilous journey by sea to Europe.
They travelled in two separate boats, and as the man's friends vessel sunk and he drowned, and he could hear him calling out his name across the sea.
Another man recounts being forced into sex work, and beaten before fleeing to Ireland.
Tunisian playwright, Yassine Barkaoui, who conducted the interviews with the international protection applicants, said the message of the play is one of understanding.
"I think it's about seeing the other perspective from the people who are fleeing for a reason.
"I don't think someone will just say, I'm going to cross the sea now, I will go on this adventure just for the fun.
"It's very, very obvious now in Ireland, everybody on social media and politicians are talking about migration. It's very important to deal with and we need to deal with it in in a healthy way, not just relying on social media or on some extreme discord".
The production, which is part-funded by the Department of Integration and the European Solidarity Corps, which sends ten theatre makers from across Europe, Africa and the Middle East to work with Crooked House for a year.
The play is currently touring theatres nationwide and is followed by a post-show discussion.
It is also being used as a research tool with audience members being surveyed afterwards about how the show impacted their views on International Protection.
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