Stone Flowers create a new show Gone, a unique collaboration with award-winning puppet theatre company, Box Tale Soup.
In a land far from here, the inhabitants of the great city of Home live a happy life, surrounded by fertile forests and bright rivers. But one day, the sky darkens, and a cruel Storm shrouds the city. With a furious temper and a ravenous greed, the Storm destroys all they hold dear and takes all they have. Forced to leave Home, join us as we follow one family on their incredible journey across many bizarre and bewildering lands, risking their lives in search of safety.
A remarkable tale of resilience in a fantastical world, told with beautiful handmade puppetry, physical theatre and poetry, Gone is inspired by the writing, experiences and true stories of refugee collective Stone Flowers, interwoven with their vivid, atmospheric score. This is a fictional fantasy about the realities of hope and survival.
The show premiered at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. The production reflects the stories of Stone Flowers participants and is interwoven with music composed by the group.
“Very unique and entertaining; it also gave me an insight to the background of the people who wrote these songs.” (Audience member)
Audience feedback at the premiere of Gone showed that Stone Flowers create empathy among audiences, improving awareness of human right abuses, transforming misconceptions about refugees.
“Brilliant, very moving. I’m not sure why skilfully operated puppets should convey the story of the refugee journey with more impact than seeing a human being telling their experiences, but this seems to happen. Stone Flowers music complimented the performance perfectly.” (Audience member)
Gone is due to go on tour across the UK in 2017-19. It will enable Stone Flowers to raise awareness of persecution in their home countries, their journeys, and their experiences in the UK. This will enable Stone Flowers to build direct support for refugee rights and campaign for a more humane UK asylum policy, at the root of their music and creative journey. As Frank, a Stone Flowers participants, said:“Most important is to communicate that refugees are human beings; we are fighting for our human rights through songs; raising awareness about how torture carries on in the UK because of the way we are viewed outside our own countries.”
You can hear great music and support Stone Flowers by buying the album here.
Gone Tour Dates
Sunday 16 July, Heritage Centre, Macclesfield, 12.30pm
Sunday 24 September, Rich Mix, London, 5pm
Thursday 7 December, Mission Theatre, Bath, 7.30pm
Amir, Survivor
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