The container

• The conatiner was pefromed on the 22nd July 2009
• The container was pefromed inside a shipping container outside the young Vic theatre
• The container is about 5 refugees trying to reach England being smuggled over borders in a shipping container
• The container was set around the time the play was written and peformed in a shipping container being smuggled across European borders
• The container:Main characters


  Asha-Mercy Ojelade

  Ahmed-Hassani Shapi

  Fatima-Doreene Blackstock

  Mariam-Amber Agar

  Jemal-Abhin Galeya
• The container was directed by Tom Wright
• The container is a new play
• The container was staged because of current issues concerning refugees, human trafficking and racial injustice
• The container uses immersive/site-specific theatre
• The container:Key themes


  social change

  refugees
• The container:Praise


  Visceral power of the production

  Won Amnesty interantional's freedom of expression award and the Fringe First award at Edingbrugh Fringe festival
• The container:Criticism


  Flaws found in writing

  Clautrophobic shipping container

  Charcaters were 'socio-political stereotypes'
• Audience sit inside shipping container so pefromance is completely immersive
• The container was written by Clare Bayley
• Nimble fish produced the container
• The container acts as a pressure cooker for conflict
• The container was written and peformed at a time when the UK was becoming increasingly hostile towards refugees
• Conflict happens when Mariam(Amber Agar) points a gun at Ahmed (Hassani Shapi) who supports the Taliban
• Conflict happens when Jemal (Abhin Galeya) and Ahmed (Hassani Shapi) have a physical fight
• Actors used crates in the shipping container to hide when the door was opened to show their fear of being caught
• Ahmed (Hassani Shapi) wears a white button up shirt and black trousers to show he is a businessman
• Fatima (Doreene Blackstock) and Mariam (Amber Agar) wear religious/cultural clothing
• Jemal (Abhin Galeya) and Asha (Mercy Ojelade) are dressed in casual clothes
• Ocassionaly natural daylight comes from outside the shipping container when the door is opened
• Blackouts are used during scene changes
• Flashlights are the only source of light when the door of the shipping container is closed
• Sound effects are used to create the effect of the truck moving
• The container encourages audiences to emphasise with refugees
• First impression:Asha(Mercy Ojelade)

  Fearful of her Aunty (Fatima)

  Naiive

  Hopeful
• First impresions:Jemal(Abhin Galeya)


  Desperate

  Hardened

  Leader
• The agent asks for 50 more dollars creating a turning point
• Mariam(Amber Agar) is forced to leave the container which creates a turning point
• 'They will tell us we are bad and never let us out' -Asha(Mercy Ojelade)

  Her pitch and voleme are higher and she is pointing at her Aunty
• Asha and Mariam's talk is a peaceful moment at the start of the play where we learn more about their characters
• Asha's breakdown is a moment of conflict in the play where we see the toll Asha's life has taken on her
• The audeince is scared for the characters at the end of the play as their problems remain unresolved
• Each actors peformance fulfilled it's purpose especially through accent,expression and gait
• There were many moments of conflict that were engaing especially as the actors were in such close proxemics to the audience