A documentary play is to be performed at Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic Theatre to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
My Thousand Year Old Land (A Song for BiH) was written by Bosnian war survivor Aida Haughton MBE and New Vic Borderlines director Sue Moffat. Based on testimonies of survivors of the genocide and war crimes that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the play will have two performances on Monday 23 January at 2:15 and 7:30PM.
It will be staged ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday 27 January which in 2023 has the theme Ordinary People which fits with the play’s focus on the impact of these events on everyday lives.
My Thousand Year Old Land (A Song for BiH) is a story of the search for truth, justice and hope told through three generations of women, accompanied by traditional folk songs and poetry. Haughton and Moffat visited Bosnia and heard survivors’ stories for the play which uses some of their verbatim speech performed by the actors as well as audio recordings.
Moffat said, “this production builds on the important work done at the New Vic in creating a shared safe space to build understanding and empathy within and between communities.
“It reminds us that even in the hardest of times truth, justice and hope are shared ambitions, compelling each of us to make a difference. Theatre is a humanising communal experience which inspires us to go back out into our communities and plant seeds of hope and peace.”