I'm no thespian, but i'm currently part of a performance for this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival - Mutation Theatre's production of "The Arrival", inspired by Shaun Tan's hugely-popular illustrated book of the same name.
It tells the story of a lone traveller who's forced to sail across the seas, leaving his home country in order to find a new life in a strange and alien world.
It's not an overtly-political show, but it does carry an empathy for the plight of what we now comfortably call "the boat people". With our current, shameful approach towards dealing with asylum seekers and the saddening events unfolding at Villawood Detention Centre (a Fijian man jumped to his death during a protest at Villawood earlier this week), The Arrival is a truly relevant piece of theatre.
This segment from last night's Gruen Transfer reminded me of an important message - the fact that boat people are real people, not faceless hordes seeking to threaten our livelihood.
http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/mutation-theatre-presents-the-arrival/
Or you can call the Fringe Festival box office on 9660 9666
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