By Maggie Leung
Earlier this year, the Federal government offered additional humanitarian places for people fleeing Afghanistan, allowing over 31,000 resettlements in the next four years.
In May 2021, the Taliban took over Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan after the US’ withdrawal. The reinstatement of control brought back an era of darkness-banning women from parks and gyms, preventing children from education, and limiting freedom of speech. Since then, thousands and thousands have fled the country by all means in search of a Utopia.
From the smuggle and struggle in water tanks loaded in trucks to the paddle and battle on the roaring sea. Many dreams and everyday life tangled with all odds to just live another day in the journey of the unknown.
The Blue Room Theatre’s Production, Utopia is a collection of narratives by Afghan writer-director Amir Musavi, featuring Shirley Van Sanden, Adil Abdelmagid, Walter Gotore, Rhianna Abu Lashin, Sreekanth Gopalakrishnan, Cloe Heal, Amir Musavi, and Phil Thomson.
The play revealed the different scenes of war with touches of love, family and romance. Striving to shine a glimpse of humanity in the thrilling and helpless reality of the battlefield. The performance is a capsule of memory, bringing scattered pieces of experience close to the heart of immigrants and refugees. It is interactive, captivating, and realistic. You will be part of the journey, flashing lights in the darkness, and weighing choices in uncertainty.
The play also cultivates further conversation beyond the multicultural community by bringing reflection on the impacts of colonisation and those who were assigned to fight. What would you do when you are in jeopardy? For many, the answer is weaved from hope and survival.
Utopia describes the play of politics and the influence of political conflicts on civilians through the use of arts, language, songs, and colours.