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Refugee Week 2020

Refugee Week is our busiest week of the year, and even though all the activities we delivered were online – this year was no different!  We made a half-hour action film, ‘Strung Out’, which was filmed in London and the wilds of Derbyshire on phones, drones and zoom, in motorbikes and cars. We enjoyed the process of learning to make work in a new way and are looking forward to more.

We had audiences from 39 countries watching the film of Pizza Shop Heroes stream online on the opening day  of Sheffield’s Migration Matters Festival.  We worked with young people and adults from across the country who took part in our 10 free workshops.

We also hosted a panel discussion to discuss challenging hostile environments in the UK and had very rich discussions with the audience, have a look at our industry recommendations below.

We are now accepting donations to support our ongoing work. See below to find our more about how you can contribute.

Looking forward to next year already!

Strung Out

Watch our film Strung Out
Losing an instrument is like losing a limb, right? If it’s what binds you to home. ‘Strung Out’ follows a group of friends on a mission to find the missing piece of the puzzle, but hitting hurdle after hurdle, will the group remain intact? This short film takes a bold, sideways look at expectations, friendship and what it means to let go.

Starring: Tewodros Aregawe, Mohammed Abdu, Goitom Fesshaye, Ali Ghaderi, Emirjon Hoxhaj, Syed Haleem Najibi

Written by Dawn Harrison
Directed by Pavlos Christodoulou and Dawn Harrison
Produced by Becca Bullen
Edited by Michael Lynch

I’ll lend you my coat so you feel warm

Collective poem I’ll lend you my coat so you feel warm
During Refugee Week our participation team led 10 workshops with groups across the country. Many of them watched our show Pizza Shop Heroes and reflected on the themes in the workshops.

Audiences of the show and people from these groups created their own 20 word poems in response to the show. This is the collective result

Read by Syed Haleem Najibi

Words by young people and staff members from Young Roots, DOST, Norwich International Youth Project, Barnado’s National Counter Trafficking Service, Element Young Creatives, and Phosphoros Young Company; women from Essex STAR and Refugee Action Colchester; and audience members including Kritika Arya, Butshilo Nleya, Anja Nielson and Clare Jordan.

Collated by Dawn Harrison

Phosphoros Young Company

Since March we have been leading weekly drama sessions for refugees under 18. As we deliver the workshops online we can take referrals from anywhere in the UK! We’d love to hear from any young people with refugee backgrounds who would like to take part in Phosphoros Young Company activities.

Members of Phosphoros Young Company develop drama skills such as creative writing, comedy, improvisation, devising scenes, creating characters and using movement. Recently the group made a short film based on their creative writing around food and memories. We’d love to hear from you or the young people you may know who may be interested in joining!

We meet on Tuesdays from 6-7.30pm

If anyone you know would like to join email us on [email protected]

Donate to support our work

We are now accepting donations through PayPal. Any money donated will go towards our mission to put refugees and asylum-seekers centre stage, our work with young and newly-arrived refugees and our commitment to providing training opportunities for the people we work with.

Donate to Phosphoros Theatre
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