On Wednesday December 5, 2018 our class went to St. Ann’s Warehouse to watch a performance about The Calais Jungle, a refugee camp. Prior to the performance we each read and discussed four readings to familiarize ourselves with what The Jungle is, and to learn about what life in The Jungle was like. Freida, Rachel, Danielle, Esther, and I had a plan from weeks before to attend the performance together. I for one was very excited and interested to see the performance and how it was going to be executed. I was also very curious about what the scenery would look like.
Rachel was driving with an ample amount of time, but of course, with Brooklyn driving you can never know what will happen. There was an accident and we hit crazy traffic. We got to the theater 5 minutes late. We decided not to panic, and continued to walk around to “the glass door” entrance. The theater is in a beautiful area right below the Brooklyn Bridge and near the water, and the theater itself was very pretty. When we entered we were given our tickets and were offered two options. We were either able to wait in the backstage area or leave and come back when it was intermission, which was supposed to be in about 50 minutes. We decided to leave and walk around the area, because the theater was in such a nice place.
After walking around for a bit we returned to find out that we were locked out!! We were told that no one will open the doors for us until intermission, but no one knew when that was!! We didn’t get into the theater until after an hour of waiting outside, and by that time we were only able to see the second half of the performance. The first moment when the second half began, I was hooked. Although it took some time for me to realize what was going on, since I had missed the first half, I was quickly able to follow along and enjoy it. My eyes didn’t steer away from the performance. The emotion from the actors, the scenery, and the way we were seated all played a part in how amazing and well executed I thought the performance was. One specific part of the performance that stood out to me and surprised me was when one of the refugees appeared, holding a gun pointed towards Safi. All of a sudden, the refugee shot the gun. I was not expecting the gun to make such a loud “BOOM” as it did. I jumped. I found this moment to be very surprising because I never would of thought that any of the refugees would turn on Safi, even if it was for such a short moment. Overall, the performance was really great and emotional, and I’m very glad I got to see at least a little of it. It was definitely an unforgettable night.
Hi Renee,
I was particularly interested in reading your blog post because I wanted to see how you experienced the night. I know we were in the same position, locked out for Act One, but I wanted to read your post to see if the play was as moving to you as it was to me. From the look of your blog post, it most certainly was. Just like you said, from the start of the second act, my eyes were glued to the actors and the scenery. I too thought that the entire play was extremely well executed. I wish we were able to see the entire play, but I am grateful that you enjoyed the part that we were able to see.
Hi Renee,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post and hearing more about your point of view on the play. I totally agree with the point you mentioned about the gun scene’s powerful effect on the audience. The room went dark and hearing the gun shot made me jump as well. The actor even pointed the gun at the entire audience and I felt as if I was part of the play, since the audience represented different countries in the refugee camp. You pointed out in your blog post that you were surprised that a refugee was turning on Safi, who took on the role of the camp leader. I also found that surprising and understood Safi’s choice in taking the onion from the smuggler. He had put in so much hard work helping the refugees in the camp, but his contributions will never be enough for everyone. He wanted a way out just like all the other refugees. It was a shame we missed out on the first half of the play as you described, but the the second half we did see was truly an amazing experience. Overall, this post was very well-written and a pleasure to read.