The Return

The beaches are lovely. Remembering is dull, embarrassing, and insensitive. But to remember is to return. If we cannot return, where do we start from? Come to laugh, to cry and to feel awkward. Whatever it is, we will survive it – survival being an art. Or an embarrassment?

The Return is a migrant/female-led production exploring intergenerational consequences of war. Combining movement, storytelling, and poetry this profoundly personal story explores the effect of war on Natasha’s life. Based on real life experiences of living in Croatia during the breakup of former Yugoslavia this devised production is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. The piece unveils fragments of a family history and delves into the surreal circumstances surrounding conflict. Expect touching, visual theatre with a disarming deadpan humour. Inspired by the poem ‘The Return’ by Dobriša Cesarić.

Written and performed by Natasha Stanic Mann

Directed by Andres Velasquez (Gecko Theatre, Theatre Re, Ephemeral Ensemble)

Lighting design by Josephine Tremelling
Sound design by Chris Prosho
Music by Iva Bittova

RUNNING TIME: 55 minutes

AGE RECOMMENDATION: 11+