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The Boy At The Back Of The Class
A book Esther, William and I adored
Back in 2020
(I cannot believe it has been 4 years!)
A book I plan to read again
Next month
For Refugee Week 2024
With Bea and Edie
They are 7 and almost 10
The Boy At The Back Of The Class
Is a story for everyone
Putting a name and a face
To the refugee children we see on the news
Giving a voice
To the families fleeing war and natural disasters
Leaving everything behind
To seek safety, sanctuary, refuge
Making us see that really these people
Are not so different from us
The child filling the empty chair
At the back of the class
Could easily be ours
The Boy At The Back Of The Class
A stage production
Adapted from a brilliant and beautiful book
By Onjali Q Rauf
A stage production that begins
With an empty chair
A stage production that gives
That refugee kid a name and a story
One we all connect with
A stage production that helps us see
And understand
That we are all different
And yet we are all the same
A stage production that helps us see
And understand
That refugees and asylum seekers
Are real people
Real children
Who love and grieve
Live and die
Just like us
A story that shows us all
The power of empathy and kindness
The power of friendship
The strength of families
Fleeing war, floods, earthquakes
The lengths families will go
To seek sanctuary and refuge
A story from book to stage
That shows us all
That everyone matters
That shows us that every person
Big or small
Can take action and
Make a change
Can be the difference
That our world so desperately needs
We really enjoyed the play
The storytelling was excellent
We loved the use of humour throughout
This show packs a mighty emotional punch
But is lifted and lightened
With the comic elements
The use of music and stylised physical theatre
At first I worried about the adults playing children
To start with it felt a little too caricatured
But as the story unfolded I did
Believe in the characters more
However as a mummy of a 9 year old actor
I would LOVE to see this show
Performed by children
I think they would do an amazing job
I think they would make an awesome A Team
The Boy At The Back Of The Class
Is now taught as part of the primary curriculum
For readers young and old
Seeing a story they have read
Brought to life on stage
Is a wonderful thing
I hope many more books
Will be adapted for the stage
So that voices like Sasha’s and
Stories like Ahmet’s can be heard far and wide
Thank you to The Marlowe Theatre
For hosting this brilliant production
And for inviting us to come and see it
And share our views
Photos by Manuel Harlan