The Welcoming Party — Miriam Nabarro

2017 Manchester International Festival, Co-commissioned by Manchester International Festival, Theatre-Rites, Z-Arts and the Ruhrtriennale Festival 2018Directed by Sue Buckmaster, Deisgned by Simon Daw, Choreography Jamaal Burkmar, Composer Frank Moon, Light by Mark Doubleday

Visual Artist Miriam Nabarro

"This is all pretty grown-up stuff, and is done with the rackety swagger and invention that we’ve come to expect from Theatre-Rites, a company making shows for children that is right at the forefront of contemporary British theatre practice"."

★★★★

- The Guardian

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The Welcoming Party

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How do we welcome new arrivals? What stories have they to tell?A beautiful blend of installation, live music, puppetry and dance, The Welcoming Party is for children aged 8 plus and adults and invites you to think about what it means different – and why we should all be proud of who we are.

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As visual artist, I worked closely with the performer and with Sue Buckmaster to distill points of the journey from Iraq to the UK, via Iran, Syria and Norway. The story was told through pop up paper sculptures that emerged from Box files in the immigration detention centre. These small models were animated by puppeteers and projected behind, allowing the performer to both perform in, and comment upon his live in different scales. The mix up of lo-fi pop up and digital hand held projection was much commented upon.

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."This is, no two ways about it, an astonishing piece of theatre: a kids' show that handles immigration, both as lived experience and as bureaucratic system, with such nuance and sophistication that it teaches adults a thing or two as well" ★★★★★ WhatsOnStage