Artistic Director: Morven Gregor

PEACE IS NOT A MAGIC WORD. IT NEEDS TO BE WORKED AT.

Travelling from market place to refugee camp to procession home; the audience joins the cast, recreating journeys of exile and return in this exciting promenade performance by Birds of Paradise.

Ten years on from a Peace Treaty, against the backdrop of 36 years of civil war in Guatemala, Mouth of Silence is a production for these times, and perhaps every time. It calls up situations past and present, while asking the people of Scotland: how do we deal with conflict? How do we deal with those looking for refuge and setting up home here?

Heart-stopping and humane, Mouth of Silence depicts the struggle for justice as affecting us all.

Inclusion is at the heart of Birds of Paradise’s working method. Mouth of Silence will be inclusively signed.

Dress for the weather on the night!

The production will be accompanied by an exhibition and outreach activities. For further information see www.birdsofparadisetheatre.co.uk or call 0141-339-1155.

 

22nd, 23rd & 24th June - 7.30pm	Tramway Theatre, Albert Drive Glasgow	B/O: 0845 330 3501 Tickets: £8/£5
Tuesday 27th June – 7.30pm	Castlemilk Youth Complex, Glasgow	B/O: 0141 630 0000 Tickets: £2.50/£1
Thursday 29th June – 7.30pm	Woodend Barn Arts Centre, Banchory	B/O: 01330 825431 Tickets: £8/£6/£2 (Under 16’s)
Monday 3rd July – 7.30pm	Upper Springland Theatre, Perth	Tickets: £6/£3  – on the door
Tuesday 4th July – 7.30pm	Ballachulish Village Hall	Tickets: £6/£3 – on the door
Wed 5th July – 8.00pm	Taynuilt Village Hall	Tickets: £6/£3 – on the door
Thursday 6th July – 7.30pm	Gigha Village Hall, Isle of Gigha	Tickets: £3/£2 – on the door
Wed 12th July – 8.00pm	Eden Court in Exile, Craigmonie Centre, Glen Urquhart High School, Drumnadrochit	Tickets: £8/£6/£3 (Under 18’s) B/O: 01463 234234
Thursday 13th July – 7.30pm	North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Edinburgh	Tickets: £8/£5/£3 (local residents) B/O: 0131 215 2151
Tuesday 18th July – 8.00pm	Leverborough Village Hall, Isle of Harris	Tickets: £6/£3 – on the door
Wed 19th July – 8.00pm	Carinish Village Hall, North Uist	Tickets: £6/£3 – on the door
Thursday 20th July – 7.30pm	St Peter’s Hall, Daliburgh, South Uist	Tickets: £6/£3 – on the door
Friday 21st July – 7.30pm	Talla Shomhairle at the Aros Centre, Portree, Isle of Skye	B/O: 01478 613750 Tickets: £8/£5

 

Reviews

Scotsman - JAY RICHARDSON - 24th June, 2006
***

TRAMWAY, GLASGOW

AS THE Guatemalans in Mouth of Silence are at pains to express, theirs was an overlooked conflict. Indeed, it was one of the worst cases of ethnic cleansing in modern Latin America, a conflict in which the state systematically turned the people against each other.
Writer Gerry Loose's new play, performed by Birds Of Paradise theatre company, attempts to redress this ignorance, exploring the power struggles inherent in the memory, language and land ownership of this divided nation.
A promenade first half in the Tramway's Hidden Gardens helps to convey the dislocation of Susanna, Max, Feliz and Maria - a small, surviving band eking out a hand-to-mouth existence under makeshift blue canvas. The inclusive company features deaf actress EJ Raymond in its number and everyone in the cast signs their lines, an apt device for a country of 22 different languages still attempting to comprehend and articulate the horror of the "disappearances".
If the expositions of the group's motives for returning home are sometimes over-expressed, when the play moves inside the theatre they are slowed further by the introduction of the evangelical Bill, an American "sent by God".
Still, their frustrated appeals for this well-meaning man to bear witness to their plight refine their arguments and provide some of the most poignant speeches in the drama, culminating in a shocking revelation that explodes the possibility of truly forgiving and forgetting, moving on or otherwise.
Occasionally, Mouth of Silence feels overly worthy, but this doesn't detract too much from the fact that it is a well-acted, thought-provoking piece.

Further information

Birds of Paradise’s daring and imaginative 2006 tour, Mouth of Silence.

The production looks at issues around displaced communities and how they, and indeed nations, rebuild themselves after conflict. It poses such questions as, is it possible to return to a homeland from which you have been exiled? What’s left after the fighting is over? Mouth of Silence is a production for these times, and perhaps every time. It references situations past and present around the world, but particularly Guatemala, while also asking the people of Scotland how do we deal with conflict? How do we deal with those escaping from conflict and setting up home here? How do we relate to and still define ourselves by our own past conflicts? Mouth of Silence is about resolving conflict, finding justice and making peace work.

These large issues demand a large canvass and for this reason Birds of Paradise will create a performance which combines promenade, outdoor stations/stages as well as building based staging. Mouth of Silence will be targeted to specific locations and we will work in close partnerships with local communities.

As with all Birds of Paradise productions the cast will be comprised of disabled and non-disabled actors.. We also offer infrared hearing loop, audio description, an audio programme and touch tours at every venue.