What if we said that Britain (this tiny island) is the second
biggest arms dealer in the world?
Common Wealth and Northern Stage present:
I Have Met the Enemy (and the enemy is us)
Byker Community Centre, Newcastle
Wednesday 16 - Saturday 26 October 2019
Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award-winning
company Common Wealth takes on the UK arms trade as the topic under scrutiny in
its latest site-specific production. Delivered by a former British soldier, a
Palestinian citizen and a Yemeni artist, I Have Met the Enemy (and the enemy is
us) examines the personal perspectives of two people with lived experience of
war, against the backdrop of global politics; asking audiences to take a close
look at the UK defence industry and the role we play, as both a nation and as
individuals, in wars that are seemingly far away.
Alexander Eley, a former British soldier, and Mo’min
Swaitat, a Palestinian citizen, meet in an intimate and powerful exchange, in a
joint attempt to understand the UK arms trade and its impact around the world. Through differing
perspectives and a shared love of techno (both are techno DJs - an unlikely
common ground discovered early in the rehearsal process), they take us on a
personal and political journey into the darkest corners of what makes Britain
tick. Sharing a stage with 72 electronic metronomes (representing the 72
Eurofighter Typhoon jets sold to Saudi Arabia this year by the UK) and a
community cast in Byker, Common Wealth will transform these spaces into worlds
for audiences to explore freely - a world charged with light, sound and robotic
installation. Audiences will be allowed agency and decision-making about when
they want to participate, intervene, or simply observe - but they are always
complicit in the action.
The performers will guide audiences through the complex
landscape of the arms trade, at times taking on the role of arms dealers,
politicians and action heroes; at other times being completely themselves,
sharing stories, thoughts and feelings based on their own lived experiences -
including the discovery of their shared love of techno music, which acts as a
coping mechanism and form of release for them both.
In collaboration with Yemen-based Comra Films, I Have Met
the Enemy will feature a third
character, Shatha Altowai, a Yemeni painter whose artwork and materials
were lost when her neighbour's house was hit by an air strike. Shatha will join
Alex and Mo'min on stage through video footage filmed in Yemen to share her own
experiences with the audience, highlighting the impact of British arms used by
Saudi Arabia in Yemen today. Britain’s role arming Saudi Arabia in the ongoing
war in Yemen is the focus of many national and international campaigns, and
earlier this year the Court of Appeal declared the UK government’s licensing of
these arms sales unlawful. As Common Wealth start rehearsals for I Have Met the
Enemy, DSEI, the biggest arms fair in the world, exhibits in London to over
35,000 attendees, from 50+ countries around the world.
A co-production with Northern Stage, the show will have its
world premiere at Byker Community Centre, Newcastle; building on a long term
partnership between the city-centre theatre and the local community of Byker.
Common Wealth will work with a community cast of seven local people who will
add another layer to the show by offering their own experiences and understanding
of the arms trade. They will play an important role in helping the audience to
understand how the arms trade affects people living in the UK. The local cast
will share their personal experiences and help to build the world that
transforms Byker Community Centre.
Ahead of its Byker premiere, I Have Met the Enemy will
preview at TFD Youth Centre in Holmewood, Bradford - an area, like many others
that are socially and economically deprived, whose demographic is typically
targeted by the British Army, according to a briefing document for the army’s
‘This Is Belonging’ campaign.
Evie Manning and Rhiannon White, Co-Artistic Directors of Common
Wealth said “We have been inspired by friends and family members who have
experienced war directly, hearing firsthand accounts of what it means to live
through conflict. The show will be told by two performers who have lived
experience of war – a former British Solider and a Palestinian Citizen. I Have
Met the Enemy is an attempt to understand someone who has been positioned as
your enemy.
The production will give a personal perspective on the
experience of war; encouraging us to understand how the UK’s sales of military
arms affects people and nations. Our hope is for us all to understand how close
war is to us, be it through those we know or by the knowledge that weapons are
made just down the road from us. The show will be a very visceral experience,
it will encourage audiences to confront themselves and the wider world and
imagine something new.”
I Have Met the Enemy (and the enemy is us) is co-directed
by Evie Manning and Rhiannon White, and devised by Common Wealth in
collaboration with writer Hassan Mahamdallie (playwright and campaigning
journalist for race equality) and performers, Alex Eley and Mo’min Swaitat.
Robbie Thompson (award winning Glasgow-based visual artist) will create a
kinetic, sonic and visual environment that will underscore, disrupt and
punctuate the world, with lighting design by Andy Purves (Hang, Sheffield
Crucible; Radical Acts, Common Wealth).
I Have Met the Enemy (and the enemy is us) is a Common
Wealth and Northern Stage co-production, in association with Chapter and Southbank
Centre.
The show previews at TFD Youth Centre, Bradford, from 27
September to 5 October before its world premiere at Byker Community Centre,
Newcastle, from 16 to 26 October; with further UK touring dates to be announced
for Cardiff, London and Edinburgh in 2020.
Funded by Arts Council England, Bradford Council and Paul
Hamlyn Foundation.
Photo: Jon Pountney & Ronnie Macdonald
Cast & Creatives
Devised by Common Wealth in collaboration with writer
Hassan Mahamdallie
Co-Directors Evie Manning and Rhiannon White
Performers & Co-Devisors Alexander Eley, Mo’min Swaitat
& Shatha Altowai
International Collaborators Comra
Films Designer Robbie Thomson
Lighting Designer Andy Purves
Digital Designer Matt Wright
Joining the performances at Byker Community Centre will be
cast members from the local community.
On The Web
Web and social media links: @Common_WealthHQ
#Enemy
Tickets:
I Have Met the Enemy (and the enemy is us) appears on Wednesday
16 - Saturday 26 October 2019. Performance times: 7pm, 6pm on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23
October, with matinees on Saturday 19, Wednesday 23 and Saturday 26 October at
2pm
Byker Community Centre, Headlam St, Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE6 2DX £10 and £2 for Byker residents Tickets via https://www.northernstage.co.uk/event/i-have-met-the-enemy-and-the-enemy-is-us
and on 0191 230 5151
Running Time: Approx. 75 minutes
Suitable for ages 12+
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