all the beds I have slept in
2021-2023
2021 - 2022
A bed that wasn’t a bed. A sheet in the Sahara.
A charpai on my roof in Afghanistan.
On our balcony back home, sharing with my brother.
A blanket in the rescue ship that pulled me from the sea.
After a successful tour in 2021 that saw multiple sell-out performances to audiences that included 500 refugee teenagers, All the beds I have slept in had with a second run with a new refugee cast from Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Morocco.
It recalls the hundreds of beds the actors have slept in on their journeys from their homelands to seek asylum in the UK. From a flat in North London to a Greek detention centre, supposed spaces of safety become transient; shelters are taken away without notice; and the route from one place to the next is fraught with obstacles. The play is a shout-out to all the real people who kept the actors moving forward. It explores the hidden moments of hospitality that change the course of a journey and how to repay them, using Phosphoros’ trademark wit and energy to reveal the intimacy created between friends when family is absent, and how to stay hopeful in a world that isn’t fair.
As part of this tour we have welcomed members of Love2Learn, Phosphoros Young Company, Curious Monkey, After18 and Borderlands to share their words and stories in workshops and onstage with the cast. We would like to thank them for their time and creativity.
Written by Dawn Harrison, with the company
Director - Esther Dix
Movement director - Sean Hollands
cast
audience feedback
'You told me an unforgettable story’
'I think it’s important for people to understand the trials and tribulations that migrants go through to get to a place like the UK. It’s not a journey someone would take for fun. I appreciate how this creative art form of acting will allow people to understand the ‘refugee crisis’ a bit more and to hopefully question their own views on migrants.’
'It was a rollercoaster. At times I laughed. I also cried. But I left feeling fulfilled and better informed.’
'I was feeling the story all the time, I have been through some of the stories.'
previous tour venues:
Derby Theatre
Rich Mix
Nottingham Playhouse
HOME
Canada Water Theatre
Theatre Clywd
Leeds Playhouse
Northern Stage
The Curve, Leicester
Bristol Old Vic
Stay updated here or on Twitter @WeArePhosphoros
With thanks to Arts Council England and The Worshipful Company of Grocers
