Can the concept of ‘us’ and ‘them’ ever become a thing of history? Sadly, probably not. Who or what creates this notion of ‘the other’? Is it an event? A series of events? The ruling power at that point in time? An influential publication or speaker? Or a combination of these factors? What’s paramount in the West is that daily life has been directly effected by the devastating events of 11th September 2001, we now live in a world where we are constantly on alert and are told that we live in threat of one of our biggest enemies. The media have created a narrative of who to fear, and dangerously building up stereotypes about certain cultures and faiths.
David Mercatali’s star seems to forever shine even brighter with every production he works on. 5 years ago, Mecatali was nominated for an Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer and has gone on to fulfil the Award’s championing of his work to stage pieces that get audiences talking. In 2013, he went on to win a Fringe First Award for his staging of Dark Vanilla Jungle and subsequently went on to be nominated for Off West End Awards in 2011 and 2014. Having also worked with theatre’s most exciting talents, Mercatali shows no signs of slowing down. Ahead of his staging of Tess Berry-Hart’s Cargo soon to show at the Arcola Theatre, Theatrefullstop were luck enough to speak with the award winning director about the show!
To celebrate 3 years of Theatrefullstop this July, we are giving away a pair of tickets to Tess Berry-Hart’s Cargo, a timely piece of theatre placing a lense on the lengths people will go to to escape the horrors of their homelands in the hopes of improving their quality of life.
