Writer: Halfpace Theatre Company
Director: Megan Brewer
We all come from somewhere, and from wherever you hail, you will at some point likely leave and go somewhere new. Maybe to study, maybe for family or for a new job. In this sense, we are all in Transit.
In this short 70-minute piece directed by Megan Brewer, Halfpace Theatre Company combines narratives from its members to tell multiple interweaving stories about coming from afar and staying connected with home, all while touching on what immigrating to the UK means. Of the five actors, many speak of their own lives: we hear about an Irish immigrant’s complicated connection with their country and language (Niamh Smith), a Taiwanese immigrant’s discovery of the strangeness of British foods (Ting-Ning Wen), or a Filipino -American who always feels slightly out of place due to the complexity of their identity (Mikko Juan).
The underlying truths to these stories add real depth to the actors’ short and sometimes multilingual monologues. Bringing such regular and painful experiences to the limelight is praiseworthy, both raising awareness of an entire subgroup of the UK’s population while providing recognition to those who have lived it.
To capture the multitude of stories, Brewer chooses to present us with a mosaic of varying mixed-media scenes. Electronic music reminiscent of 90s video games accompanies well-choreographed movement, often involving the astonishing collection of white suitcases that serve as the set. The effect of these contrasting vignettes can be surprising and disconcerting, a whirlwind of emotion, as some scenes require audience participation (joining an onstage game show, for example), while others rely on voice messages and subtitles to convey the heart-breaking distance of being away. Yet this complexity also creates some confusion, as the varying directions taken by each scene (actors multi-roling in and out of different storylines, speaking and dancing with background subtitles and at times blatantly paradoxical musical interludes) distract from a possibly stronger underlying theme.
Yet, when speaking of migration, movement and our own sense of home, how can we really compare individual experience but through a patchwork of voices, languages and touching moments?
Runs until 5 September 2026
