The touring production of Three Migrant Women delivered a tear-jerking theatrical exploration of memory, hope and the cost of leaving everything behind.
Norwich Theatre Stage Two was packed with several audience members visibly moved by the end of the hour-long production based on the stories of the actors who perform it.
On a quiet stage, lined with various pairs of shoes, Daria Kolesnyk bursts in with a sharp contemporary dance number with just her suitcase in her hand.
When Etta Geras, a pregnant Deniz Gursucu and her husband, Suat Onur Calik, join the story, we witness their lives fragmented and devastated, but also the resilience required to rebuild.
After Deniz goes into labour, the voices of the women join in the chorus of cries, some of which are indistinguishable from the cries of a newborn baby.
It is at this moment that the three women are connected through their shared experience, a thread woven through the entire performance.
It is the synchronicity of the female characters that is the real show-stealer, with the three seamlessly joining together at multiple points through dialogue, movement and proximity.
The most impactful moment is when what has been a largely conceptual and abstract performance turns strikingly obvious, with the women speaking directly to the audience about their lived experience of migration, loss and war.
Not only did the show grip my attention for the duration, but it also captivated the rest of the audience with several, including myself, being brought to tears.
The performance masterfully portrays the hope and longing of the migrant experience, while simultaneously bringing to life the terrifying experience of being forced to leave your home.
Directed by Miche Montague, Three Migrant Women has been created from Being Migrant, a flagship project part of Norwich Theatre’s Theatre of Sanctuary programme.
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