Bodies of Water

Bodies of Water was produced through a collaboration between the Actors Touring Company (ATC) and Greenwich+Docklands International Festival in London. It was performed in the summer of 2024 in a boat pulled up onto the banks of the River Thames. Using the river as the backdrop the audience watched from the shore as the performers told their stories of seeking sanctuary in the UK. These stories were scaffolded by a performance of Warsan Shire’s poem ‘Home’ and the piece was accompanied by oud player Rihab Azar and The Gold Collective choir.

At a time when attitudes seem to be hardening against ‘migrants’ and ‘asylum seekers’ director Matthew Xia describes how these very terms can dehumanise the people involved. ATC wanted to challenge this by ‘humanising the headlines’ through Bodies of Water showing the stories of ordinary people who have come to the UK to seek safety and security. – A. Jeffers