Thursday 16th & Friday 17th August 19.10 – 20.10
Boii Theatre
Dedicated to Burma Campaign UK
An experimental political opera inspired by the story of Burma and its people. Powerful Spider is weaving a web of fear and intimidation which threatens humanity in its core. Living in fear and lies is so unbearable that to risk everything and break the web is the only alternative. Dedicated to Burma Campaign UK.
Genesis:
Boii Theatre, established in 2010, is a collective of international artists from a variety of backgrounds from performance to classical music and opera. Inspired by stories and people around us, we author our own work and fuse a number of different disciplines to create a new aesthetic on stage. Insein was conceived shortly after Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader, was released from her house arrest. I was curious about the slight woman who displayed such strength of spirit in her non-violent fight for freedom. Speaking about democracy, she often mentioned the name of another immensely important person, the Czech dissident playwright Václav Havel. The two friends who never met helped change the discourse simply by believing in human dignity and living within the truth. Come and join us on a journey away from fear, a journey of hope and promise.
Synopsis:
Set in Burmese jail, Insein is a metaphor for many an oppressive regime which uses fear and intimidation in order to control. Time goes by while Spider, the feared implement of power, is weaving his web of lies and hatred. Every time anyone speaks against Spider, his huge web vibrates to alert him and this makes him very angry. The punishment is fierce. But silence and obedience and living within a lie is something so unbearable that risking a life to break the web is the only alternative.
www.boiitheatre.com
Photo: Anthony Russell
Music/Composition: Chris Warner
Words: Eva Daníčková
Director: Maja Milatović-Ovadia
Costume Designer: Thein Than Min (Min)
Set Designer: Caitlin Abbott
Tenor: Masashi Fujimoto
Soprano: Maya Sapone
Actress: Safiah Hashim
Music/Composition: Chris Warner
Words: Eva Daníčková
Director: Maja Milatović-Ovadia
Costume Designer: Thein Than Min (Min)
Set Designer: Caitlin Abbott
Tenor: Masashi Fujimoto
Soprano: Maya Sapone
Actress: Safiah Hashim
Chris Warner as a theatre composer, recent credits include HENRY V (RSC STUDIO), PRIVATE RESISTANCE (Eastern Angles), LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE (Lyric Theatre, Belfast). As a media composer, Chris has written Film & Television, much of which is produced and published by Audio Network and can be heard on programs as diverse as Cbeebies and The Apprentice.
Eva Daníčková after graduating from the Central School of Speech and Drama, Eva established Boii Theatre in 2010. She wrote the libretto for The Moonflower which premiered at last year’s Tȇte à Tȇte. Eva also works as a production dramaturg and theatre director. Most recently she worked as an assistant director on The Winter’s Tale for Parrabbola’s community theatre project at Ostrava Shakespeare Festival in the Czech Republic.
Maja Milatović-Ovadia directed at the National Theatres’ of Serbia and Montenegro, and the top theatres in Slovenia, Maja is making her name in British theatre now, gaining a reputation for staging original and urgent work that combines the best of British theatre and European practice. www.majamilatovicovadia.com
Thein Than Min (Min) was born in Rangoon, Burma. He studied geography before he left Burma and he is now pursuing an undergraduate degree in Fashion at Middlesex University in London. Insein is Than’s first theatre project and he is proud to be able to incorporate his fashion designing skills into theatre costume design.
Caitlin Abbott has been illustrating, designing and constructing for theatre since 2009, whilst studying Architecture at the Bartlett School, UCL. Projects include The Winter’s Tale (Parrabbola/Gdansk & Ostrava Summer Shakespeare Festivals), Peter and No Comment, (The Shaw Theatre, Camden Fringe), Bonbibi (Culturepot Global), A Christmas Carol (children’s inter-arts project), Turkish Delights (World Arts Platform), and as assistant designer Pericles (Gdansk Shakespeare Festival).
Masashi Fujimoto is a singer, actor and voiceover artiste. He graduated at Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo and has had further singing and dance training in Milan and London. His theatre credits include: “Madam Butterfly”, “Tosca”, “Bernstein’s “Mass” “The King and I”, “Whiskey Kisses”, Panto “Aladdin”. TV programmes: “BANZAI”, “Roman’s Empire”, “Beehive”, Films “Gambit”, “47 Ronin” and “Rush”. PC games: “Shogun 2”.
Maya Sapone is a versatile artist with exceptional vocal flexibility and improvisational skills. Maya performs both in the UK and internationally. A graduate of Trinity College of Music, London, Maya’s area of activity ranges from opera to musicals, from classical to contemporary, improvisation and experimental theatre, world music and music for film and TV. Maya’s latest critically acclaimed appearances include the role of Lady Thiang in KING AND I directed by Paul Kerryson. www.mayasapone.co.uk
Safiah Hashim grew up in Kuala Lumpur as a dancer before deciding to pursue acting and went to study BA Performing Arts at London Metropolitan University. She gained distinction for her MA Acting in TV, Film and Radio at East 15 Acting School through her performance portraying a sex traffic victim in a short film that she produced.