Refugees Waiting for ….
The U.S. Premiere of David Greig’s play Europe, about xenophobia and social change will open Thursday, March 12 at 12th Ave Arts, produced by Thalia’s Umbrella and directed by Terry Edward Moore.
First performed on October 21st, 1994 at the Traverse Theatre, in Edinburgh, Scotland, it has been performed many times all over
Europe, notably in Chemnitz in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1996, in Leeds, Yorkshire in the North of England and at the Barbican in London, but never in the U.S. David Greig is Scotland’s most prolific playwright and has written several plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) : Victoria, The American Pilot, The Young Vic Herge’s Adventure’s of Tintin and for the Edinburgh International Festival San Diego and The Spectator.
Europe is set in a railway station, in a decaying unnamed Eastern-European border town. A train approaches the station carrying many passengers including a dishonest businessman named Morocco smuggling vodka back to his home, and two refugees, Savia and Katia, seeking shelter and safety. The daughter of the stationmaster, Adele, is fascinated by the refugees’ freedom to move around, she yearns to escape and explore the world as she perceives them to do.
It is a story of home, and the discovery of it in unexpected places. Home need not be four walls and roof as the characters battle with identity and kinship.
Thalia’s Umbrella’s cast consists of David Pichette, William Hall Jr., Douglas Andrew Graham, Yadira Duarte, Emily Pike, Monal Pathak, Tallis Moore, and Danny Lacker. The tech staff includes Roberta Russell, Lucy Peckham, Jae Hee Kim, and Richart Schug.
“This revival is as relevant today as it was in 1994; there are now more refugees than anytime since the Second World War.” said director Terry Edward Moore.
Europe by David Greig. U.S. Premiere. Thalia’s Umbrella. 12th Ave Arts. 1620-12th Ave Capitol Hill, Seattle 98122 Preview Thurs, March 12, 7:30 Opening Fri March 13. 7:30. Thur-Sat 7:30. thru Apr. 4. Sun. matinee March 15, 22, 29 2:00 pm. Mon March 30 7:30. Tickets https://europe.brownpapertickets.com/ Info: https://Thalia’s Umbrella.org