To stay, what must we become?
In a country obsessed with queuing in the drizzling rain, a group of migratory birds huddle together in a 'flight corridor', practicing their perfect V formation. Their goal is simple: to prove they are high-value, low-risk, and worthy of a perch. But this is no ordinary rehearsal. It is a high-stakes survival test governed by an invisible, shifting bureaucracy.
As the Policy Voice barks new thresholds from the shadows, the cost of belonging rises: from £38,700 to an unattainable sum. The air grows thin. The wind turns hostile. Under the icy gaze of system that treats living beings as mere data points, the flock begins to fracture.
How much of song must you mute to be heard? How many feathers must you clip to fit into a cage labelled 'home'?
Visa, Drama, and Other Disasters is a visceral, darkly comedic exploration of borders, belonging and the crushing weight of the administrative machine. Combining sharp dialogue with intense physical theatre, it exposes the structural cracks in the narratives of 'success' and 'integration'.
If birds can cross the sky without documents, why must humans ask permission to follow the same wind?
CREATIVES
Producer / Writer / Director Zishen (Cindy) Gao
Co-director Kuba Pawełczak
Assisant director Elaine Li Quan
Assistant creative producer Xiaoran Yan & Zixuan (Alina) Zhou
Interpreter Chen (Alice) Qian
Poster designer Yunzhi Wang
Poster font Ranni Chen
Set designer Ruomeng Li
Lighting designer Mengyun (Melody) Liu
Sound designer Zhuoer Zhou
Props & costume designer Yizhuo (Eizo) Zhao
Stage Manager Yinuo (Noah) Yang
Dramaturg Cassia Thompson
CAST
INVESTOR – WRITER Zixuan(Alina) Zhou
DIRECTOR Man Yun Ku
ACTOR Clarissa Liaw
RUNNER Hangming (Rowan) Zhang
DESIGNER Elaine Li Quan
Tobi King Bakare and this theatre deserve a shout-out for such a young, diverse audience. There is so much talk about audiences being full of over 60s and why, why can’t theatres get the crowds in to reflect society in general? Well, I’m happy to say that on a rainy Thursday evening, the theatre was completely full.
Caiti Grove on Before I Go in CPT's Spring 2023 season London Theatre Reviews
