HIDDEN by Vickie Donoghue. A stage adaptation of Miriam Halahmy’s novel.

When & Where? 2.30pm, Thursday 15 June 2017, The Harlequin, Portsmouth Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 2AB

You are invited to attend a reading of playwright Vicki Donoghue’s adaptation of Miriam Halahmy’s book, Hidden (2010), nominated for a Carnegie Medal and a Sunday Times book of the week. Hidden tells the story of two fourteen year olds Alix and Samir, who both live on Hayling Island near Portsmouth, she native to the island, he a refugee from the 2007 Iraq war, having lived in Baghdad until the age of 9. Vickie Donoghue, recently included in the BBC’s talents of 2017, is under commission with Nabakov and is an Associate Artist at the Mercury Theatre. The High Tide Festival at The Bush produced her first play, Mudlarks, to critical acclaim.

Funded by the House Theatre initiative and Arts Council England, director Stuart Mullins and producer Rebecca Laughton, working with Iraqi Young Producer Temor Alkaisi, aim to reach a young audience and offer a space to discuss the refugee crisis and immigration in general, by creating a viscerally challenging 60 minute play, that excites, engages and inspires.

By adapting the book we invite young people to explore the issues arising from the refugee crisis, looking at arguments for and against the current asylum process. We want to tackle the current fracture in communities that occurs in areas where there is fear and ignorance surrounding the whole issue of immigration. To do this we need strong partners and are very lucky to have the involvement of Journeys Festival International, Counterpoints Arts, the Quarterhouse in Folkestone, Kent Refugee Action Network, The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre in Havant, the Guildhall in Portsmouth and the Thameside Theatre in Thurrock.

RSVP rebecca@hiddenproject.co.uk

www.hiddenproject.co.uk