Set in a not-so-far future under a far-left regime, Safergrounds offers an ironic take on a dystopian world where queer individuals are confined to a so-called ‘Safe Haven’, explains Rowena Zammit, co-director of the play, which is being staged at Theatre Next Door in Magħtab this weekend.
“Five characters – Ray, Dana, Aliyah, Luka, and Mia – navigate this absurd, bubble-wrapped world that might or might not end with them starting a revolution. While it sounds dramatic, this performance is anything but. Think of it as dystopia with a wink! It’s chaotic, fun and funny with a pinch of sour reality,” she says.
“We are providing a raw show that captures the real experiences of people in the community, and yet the audience will laugh and see things from a lighter perspective, and so we hope they will leave with a better understanding of the reality that the queer community faces.”
The Busli Collective consists of Zammit and co-director and writer Michael Farrugia. They were inspired to develop Safergrounds so that, in a media-space flooded with tokenised representation of queer identities, there was instead something in which local queer youth could see themselves.
They also wanted to create a space for conversation, to allow people who don’t understand the queer community to come and learn something new, and to become more understanding.
As well as wishing to address the lack of local queer plays that truly reflect the community’s reality, Busli were also inspired by the role that education plays in shaping the youth’s understanding and acceptance of gender identity and sexuality.
“When we first dove into the research phase, conducting interviews and focus groups with youth workers, educators and members of the community, we found that although education has become more open-minded, there’s still room for growth,” Zammit says.
“The focus groups also confirmed our belief that there’s a need for more representation of the queer community in the arts, without always resorting to sad or tragic narratives.”
It’s an original play, poking fun and packed with popular references, bursting with energy, bravery and colour, as both the characters and the audience begin to realise that maybe this ideal fictional world Safergrounds isn’t as perfect as they thought.
Ticket for the final performance tonight are available from fmt.com.mt/tnd. The project is presented in collaboration with MGRM and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and supported by Arts Council Malta and BOV.