Stage Door News

Toronto: Nightwood Theatre presents “Children of Fire” June 27-July 2

Monday, May 30, 2022

Nightwood is thrilled to share the world premier of the gripping documentary play Children of Fire, written and created by Shahrzad Arshadi and Anna Chatterton. Children of Fire is an intimate portrayal of the Kurdish female freedom fighters that hosted Shahrzad and Anna in the mountains of Kurdistan in 2018. Co-created with a mix of verbatim theatre and first-person confessional, this play follows the journey and layered relationship across cultures between Shahrzad and Anna, and asks what is at the heart of living bravely as a woman and an activist.

Nightwood’s Artistic Director, Andrea Donaldson, shares “I’m thrilled to finally bring this work to a live audience under the trees at Prairie Drive Park. It is truly an honour to share the stories of these female fighters captured by Anna and Shahrzad. As an artist, I’m humbled by the freedom fighters' perspective that art-making is as vital a piece of resistance as combat, and heartened by their commitment to strength through softness.”

Children of Fire director and Artistic Director of Aluna Theatre, Beatriz Pizano, relays “What happens in places far away, places that we might not know much about, has the potential to transform us. ‘It's not them over there, it's not us over here’: this is what Anna and Shahrzad want us to hear, as we follow their journey to the Qandil mountains to meet Kurdish women fighters in 2018. If we listen to these stories, we will perhaps understand that we are all connected and responsible for each other.”

SHOW DETAILS:

Children of Fire runs approximately 80 minutes long, with 1:00pm performances from June 27 to July 2 at Prairie Drive Park (70 Prairie Drive, Scarborough). More details are available through the Nightwood Theatre site: www.nightwoodtheatre.net

TICKETS:

Access to this outdoor show is free. For more information please visit: www.nightwoodtheatre.net

CREATIVE TEAM:

A Nightwood Theatre Production with support from Aluna Theatre

Created and written by Shahrzad Arshadi and Anna Chatterton

Verbatim text translated by Shahrzad Arshadi

Directed by Beatriz Pizano

Co-Designed by Anahita Dehbonehie and Niloufar Ziaee

Stage Managed by Erika Morey

Production Managed by Tamara Vuckovic

Featuring Parastoo Amanzadeh, Shahrzad Arshadi, Anna Chatterton, Nyriri Karakas and Aida Keykhaii

Photo: Kurdish Freedom Fighters. © 2015 Shahrzad Arshadi.