Play shines a light on the plights of LGBTI asylum seekers
WHEN聽John Kachoyan began working on a play looking at the plights of LGBTI refugees from the Middle East, he realised he hadn鈥檛 known just how badly they were persecuted.
鈥淭hings have gotten worse and in the chaos of the civil wars in Syria and Iraq, people have started to persecute moral issues,鈥� he told the Star Observer.
鈥淵ou assume that all asylum seekers are talked about in the same way, but queer refugees face persecution from within the refugee community itself.
鈥淲hen we intervene in these wars we assume we鈥檙e doing good, but in fact it destabilises the region and people are forced to leave their country鈥� and we鈥檙e privileged here in Melbourne so we wanted to convey these horrors to people through theatre.鈥�
Kachoyan鈥檚 play, Elegy, was inspired by a number of interviews with gay Iraqi refugees, and follows the journey of one young man coming to terms with his sexuality and the persecution that follows his search for asylum.
It will have its Australian premiere as part of Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a moving love story of sorts, it鈥檚 not a lecture,鈥� Kachoyan said.
鈥淏ut hopefully we open people鈥檚 eyes and help them to think about what they can do to help, and also to realise how lucky we have it here.
鈥淔or each audience member it鈥檒l be a different experience, because our play helps to humanise things.
鈥淪omeone once said that the theatre is a gym for empathy鈥� it鈥檚 like stepping into someone else鈥檚 shoes.鈥�
Elegy was backed by Regional Arts Victoria and will tour nationally after Midsumma, with the team hoping the show will also travel to regional Australia and schools.
Images taken by award-winning photojournalist Bradley Secker in Istanbul, of the gay refugee interviewees, will also be exhibited as part of the show to complement the performance.
鈥淭he character in the play is fictitious and the story is anonymous, but it鈥檚 based on these real experiences,鈥� Kachoyan said.
鈥淭hese men that were photographed in Istanbul 鈥� it鈥檚 not our job to tell that story, it鈥檚 our job to make pieces from the story that touches people.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be playing at Midsumma, where we鈥檒l find an audience that鈥檚 sympathetic but might not know the full details of the persecution faced by LGBTI refugees.鈥�
Elegy has already won critical and audience praise throughout Europe, receiving a Royal National Theatre Playwright Award.
The play is presented by Lab Kelpie in association with Gasworks.
Elegy will run as part of Midsumma at Gasworks鈥� Studio Theatre between聽January 19 鈥� February 6. .
The Star Observer is a proud media partner of Midsumma.
Hope this comes to Brisbane. This story needs to be told.