TRANSIT is a multidisciplinary experience, told through a series of vignettes utilising physical theatre, poetry, dance, multimedia, practical lights and live music, about the experience of contemporary migrants and what it means to call a place home.
Review by Richard Lambert
Transit is billed as an exploration of the experiences of contemporary migrants, drawing on the personal stories of its devising company. The result is an engaging and heartfelt production that offers a series of snapshots into the emotional and practical realities of navigating life in a new country.
The stories focus on recognisable challenges: deciding what to pack when your life must fit into a single suitcase, the way an accent can make someone feel like an outsider, the sense of no longer fully belonging anywhere, the frustration of trying to contact the Home Office, the endless paperwork, and the anguish of missing important family milestones because of lengthy visa processing delays.
These are all genuine experiences, and the production presents them with sincerity and warmth. However, I found myself wishing it had ventured further into the wider political context surrounding migration. Given the gravity of the subject, and the fact that many migrants have fled war, persecution or life-threatening circumstances, the stories presented occasionally felt more reflective than challenging. There seemed to be an opportunity to explore the policies and systems behind these personal experiences in greater depth, adding another dimension to an already thoughtful piece.
The staging is simple. A collection of white suitcases of varying sizes, constantly being opened, closed and rearranged to create different environments and metaphors throughout the performance. The lighting remains understated and dark, allowing the performers and their stories to remain the primary focus.
One of the evening’s highlights is an audience participation sequence in which volunteers attempt to answer Home Office-style questions in order to gain the “right to remain”. It is genuinely funny, cleverly conceived and provides some welcome humour while simultaneously illustrating the complexity and anxiety of immigration procedures.
One area where I felt the production could have gone further was in exploring the political context behind the immigration system. The frustration caused by lengthy Home Office processing times is touched upon through personal experience, but the wider debate surrounding why these delays occur is left largely unexplored. Perhaps there’s a reason the Government don’t want to expedite the processing times but this is speculative and would have been nice if the production had challenged the audience a little more in their personal beliefs.
By the end of the performance, the clearest message is the shared frustration experienced by those trying to navigate the Home Office and immigration system. While I would have welcomed a stronger political perspective, Transit succeeds in giving voice to a range of personal experiences.
Photo credit: Danny Kaan
Cast & Creative Team
Original Devising Company: Mikko Juan, Ting-Ning Wen, Bethany Monk-Lane, Aijamal Nasirdinova, Niamh Smith
Performed for The Cockpit: Ting-Ning Wen, Bethany Monk-Lane, Aijamal Nasirdinova, Niamh Smith, Danlu Peng
Director: Megan Brewer
Producer: Lydia Idakula
Set and Costume Designer: Daria Vasko
Lighting Designer: Cheng Keng
Sound Designer: Jamie Lu
Video Designer: He Zhang
Movement Director: Monica Nicolades
Composer: Austin Yang
Assistant Producer: Bukky Sanu
Assistant Director: Kazue Horimasu
Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 July – 7:30pm
Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July – 2:00pm and 7:30pm
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, with additional support from Unity Theatre Trust.
Running time:
70 minutes
Recommended for ages 12+
Content warnings: racism, xenophobia, periods of darkness, loud noise, mild language