Introducing Staging Asylum, Again, an anthology that exposes Australia’s mistreatment of people seeking refuge. Building on the success of its predecessor, this collection presents a timely and powerful exploration archive of artistic resistance to one of Australia’s most enduring and unjust policies.
The anthology showcases a diverse range of plays that delve into different facets of seeking asylum. Tribunal, devised and performed by Kaz Therese, Joe Tan, Aunty Rhonda Dixon-Grovenor, Mahdi Mohammadi, Katie Green, Paul Dwyer, and Jawad Yaqoubi, immerses readers in a truth and reconciliation commission, where newly arrived refugees and a First Nations Elder share poignant testimonies. We All Know What’s Happening, conceived by Samara Hersch and Lara Thoms, involves seven young Australians devising a show about the incarceration of refugee children their age. Finally, The Audition, written by Patricia Cornelius, Sahra Davoudi, Tes Lyssiotis, Wahibe Moussa, Milad Norouzi, Melissa Reeves, and Christos Tsiolkas, is a metatheatrical play that draws parallels between an actor’s audition and an asylum seeker’s application for protection. The volume also includes three one-act plays showcased at the 2015 Asylum festival. Noëlle Janaczewska’s Going for Gold, Tania Cañas’ Three Angry Australians, and Georgia Symon’s A Puppet Show for All Ages.
Editors Tania Cañas and Caroline Wake provide an introduction to the volume, along with individual essays about each play.
Staging Asylum, Again is a testament to the power of theatre to shed light on injustice and spark dialogue, making it an essential read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Australia’s border policies and their impacts.
