This February, join the global conversation about nuclear weapons when A Family Business brings it to your doorstep.
Our city-centre Barnfield Theatre will soon welcome this hopeful and intelligent play by award-winning playwright and performer Chris Thorpe, straight from its run at Staatstheater Mainz, Germany, and Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.
We’re inviting you to get to know the creatives and experts behind this vital piece of theatre, as they share insights into their show, roles and careers.
Watch the arresting trailer for A Family Business, or scroll down to access a wealth of resources about making theatre, activism, and nuclear disarmament.
BOOK NOWMEET THE PLAYWRIGHT AND PERFORMER
Simon Stephens (playwright, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) on Chris Thorpe
“A Family Business is about the people who negotiate nuclear weapons treaties, but it’s also about the idea that those people feel very far away from us.”
“An awareness of just how the existence of nuclear weapons […] is woven into the fabric of the society that they’re in in invisible ways.”
“At the moment, it’s probably the most urgent crisis facing us that we can do something about, but that we weirdly don’t talk about as much as we could.”
MEET THE TEAM: CAREER CHATS
Eleanor Field – Theatre Designer
Eleanor Field is a scenographer & artist, experienced in all styles of production including collaborative & non-traditional theatre practice. She is in the process of working on a practice-based PhD, at Northumbria University, exploring digital theatremaking processes. She has spoken at Prague Quadrennial, with IFTR (the International Federation of Theatre Research), and at TaPRA (Theatre & Performance Research Association). Since graduating from RADA’s Postgraduate Theatre Design course in 2011, Eleanor has worked regularly in a wide variety of styles & genres for theatre, opera, dance & festivals, she also designed a series of window displays for Selfridge’s London.
Véronique Christory – Senior Arms Control Advisor, International Committee of the Red Cross
Véronique Christory is a Senior Arms Advisor for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Delegation to the United Nations. Since 1997, she has promoted and developed laws regulating (and prohibiting) the use of weapons, including conventional and nuclear weapons as well as new technologies such as autonomous weapons systems (AWS) and cyberwarfare. She participated in all the negotiations related to weapons issues at the UN in the last two decades, notably the Arms Trade Treaty (2013), all the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conferences since 2000 (NPT), as well the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW in 2017). The historic importance of the Treaty has been highlighted by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)’s 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
Zainab Rauf Tramboo – Youth Advisor
Zainab Rauf Tramboo acted as Youth Advisor on A Family Business, helping the team behind the show to reach young people.
She is part of the UN Youth4Disarmament programme, a youth outreach initiative run by the United Nation’s Office for Disarmament Affairs. The programme engages 25 young ambassadors from 25 countries to explore the role of young people in advancing disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control. These young ambassadors come from diverse academic backgrounds, actively participating in and advocating for disarmament.
Meet the Experts
Post-Show Panel Discussion
Chris Thorpe speaks to experts in their field about their thoughts on A Family Business, and how arts and culture can help us to spread the word about the urgent need for nuclear disarmament.
Because it touches on the journey of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a story which A Family Business explores, you may prefer to watch the panel discussion after you have seen the show, especially if you are asking yourself the question ‘what can I do to help?’
Other Resources
How to Plan an Activist Event Guide
This resource was co-created by Zainab Rauf Tramboo (A Family Business Youth Advisor) and Ali Eggleton (former China Plate Young Producer). It introduces activism and provides step-by-step support to anyone interested in putting on an event in their local community to help spread awareness about something they are passionate about.
You can even download and print the guide to work through its prompts on paper to develop your own ideas and plans. Just click on the link below to access the free resource.
‘So What Can I Do Now?’ Postcard
After watching A Family Business, audience members will be invited to take home a ‘‘So What Can I Do Now?’ postcard. The postcard was created by Zainab Rauf Tramboo to help signpost ways in which anyone can contribute to the nuclear disarmament movement.
You can download a digital version of the postcard by clicking the link below.
A Family Business will be performed at our city-centre Barnfield Theatre on Fri 2 Feb at 7.45PM.
BOOK NOWYOU MAY ALSO LIKE
