Warrior Square

Photos: Anwar Suliman

Review by Douglas Johnson

As a free performance for the community, with a free meal from the kitchens of the Pakistan Muslim Centre and a question-and-answer session afterwards, this story of integration was a treat.

The story is of two children – a boy called Andréa and a girl called Riva – who flee their home country with their mother, in a scene of terror when their father is murdered by the mob. With only each other to give the support they need to deal with this trauma, they find themselves placed in shabby, insecure housing in a seaside town to await their official notification of their application for asylum.

Review by Amal Ahmed

Warrior Square is about a family who are from Eastern Europe. They came to England as refugees to a place called Warrior Square on the south coast.

They came to England when their dad was killed in their country during the war. The mum and two children moved to England to start a new life. Their life was difficult because they didn’t know the language and their mum was upset and in shock. She couldn’t talk with her children and they felt alone.

This was a very important play because it shows people who have never been refugees what it’s like. When I came to England I felt the same things: I felt alone and I missed my family, my country and my food. You feel you can’t go out and you feel embarrassed because you can’t understand people. So you stay at home a lot and you feel depressed.

The play was fantastic. More than one hundred people came. People were emotional. Some people cried when they heard their story.