Burma Play, The ( a live performance)
THE BURMA PLAY By Pam Sandiford A live performance This is the story of the continuing struggle of the people of Burma to attain the human rights and democratic freedoms they voted for overwhelmingly in 1988… of Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s most extraordinary prisoner of conscience… and of SLORC, the sinister machine of state terror, and the butt of the best gags… ‘Saturday night at Lanterhouse was like a long cool drink after a week in the desert. The Burma Play was a superb melding of the talents of a writer, performers and director who obviously believe in what they are doing to create a moving and powerful evening of theatre. Author Pam Sandiford has combined scholarly research and humanitarian passion with an awesome gift for putting words into mouths to unfold her story. The play, constantly updated, communicated a potted history of Burma from British colonisation to the present. David Bowen, sensitive, vulnerable and versatile, and Cilla Baynes, optimistic, inscrutable and grounded, were the two superb performers who seamlessly took on many roles.' Evening Mail, Cumbria 'The Burma Play is a vital glimpse of the courage and suffering of the Burmese people. I warmly recommend it.' The news has been full of the legitimate peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations throughout Burma and of the military dictatorship's extreme brutal reaction. The events of 2007 are almost an exact replay of what happened in 1988 - the worst may yet be to come. An hour long, lively and entertaining yet hard hitting, THE BURMA PLAY could not be more relevant to anyone wanting to understand the current events in Burma and the U.K.'s relationship with it. Entrance is by donation, and all the money raised will go to the BURMA CAMPAIGN UK. You can also donate via the website http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/ where they can find other ways to get involved. This organisation has done much over many years to raise the profile of Burma on the international stage. They desperately need all the help you can give at this crucial time. Our production of THE BURMA PLAY tells the backstory: of Burma's bloody struggle for independence from the British colonial era, of the coming to power of the dictator Ne Win in 1962, of the terrible massacres of 1988, of Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy's landslide victory in 1990, and the unravelling of hope ever since, as the dictatorship became ever more paranoid and narcissistic. The play was inspired by a letter-writing campaign in 1996 by Amnesty International on behalf of two comedians, U Par Par Lay and U Lu Zaw of the Moustache Brothers of Mandalay, put in jail for telling jokes, for poking fun at authority. Eventually, bwere released. U Par Par Lay spent 5 years and 7 months in prison. In this most recent crackdown, U Par Par Lay was rounded up and imprisoned again. The comedians can no longer speak their truth. Background to the play Northern International Theatre Projects is a group of five people - director, writer, two actors and a musician - who have come together to promote The Burma Play. Writer Pamela Brough Sandiford is based near Flash, the highest village in England. Her Diary of a Moorland Winter was narrated by Prunella Scales for BBC Radio 4. Director David Bell was born in Burma. He directed Amadeus and The Tempest in the opening season of the New Vic, Newcastle under Lyme. Anglo-Burmese performer Cilla Baynes's father was in the government buildings in Rangoon, in the next room to Aung San, the independence leader and father of Aung San Suu Kyi, when he was assasinated in 1947. She runs Community Arts Northwest, based in Manchester, and was awarded the MBE for her work with refugees and asylum seekers. Actor David Bowen works extensively in television and theatre, including major roles for Compass, Northern Broadsides and the New Vic, North Staffs. Musician/composer Omar Sattaur is from Buxton, and performs with the international fusion band Beating Wing. The event is free although a donation of £2.50+ is suggested. Proceeds from this show will go to The Burma Campaign.
Tells the story of two comedians...
A popular entertainer struggles to restore his damaged memory by going over his life and times – and those of his country. All he can recall is darkness and fear. Gags, wordplay and sketches prompt blazing insights into his present circumstances. Can laughter save him? It’s vital to remember – but why? And when the final piece of his story is in place – what then?
JOHN PILGER
The first tour of The Burma Play started at the Dukes Playhouse in Lancaster, Sept 1997 - part of a month-long focus on Burma coordinated by Lancaster City Council. It was presented at the Amnesty International UK Festival of Human Rights in Oct 1998 and has toured to high schools, local Amnesty International groups, students unions, City Councils, and arts centres in places including Oxford, Cambridge, London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham.
01782 411188 answer phone reservations
www.stokefilmtheatre.org.uk
Wednesday 30 April, Stoke Film Theatre, 7:45pm, Film
Tickets: free!
