From Here On is a project that brought so many people together internationally and evoked so much empathy through performances and participatory opportunities. It discussed the safe passage of child refugees, looking at the present through a historical lens.
‘Have we learnt anything from history?’
Children get caught in conflicts through no fault of their own. 85 years ago, just before the Second World War broke out, nearly 10,000 Jewish children were transported to the UK from families facing persecution in various parts of Europe. This was known as the ‘Kindertransport’.
From Here On, by Gecko and Good Chance theatre companies, is a project that draws a parallel between this historic migration story to the stories of conflicts and migration now.
This project took place in London at Liverpool Street Station, at the port town of Harwich in Essex, at Den Haag (The Hague) in Holland and in Berlin. All of these places have something to do with the Kindertransport journey. I was performing in the London and Harwich versions of the show.
I was also the ‘Young People’s Director’ in Den Haag, along with my colleague Luk Wai Shan. We were to make a piece to be performed on the International Day of Justice. Our host organisation in Holland was the Amare arts centre. It had a dedicated team supporting this project with so much warmth, which was pivotal to its success.
Holland had a very important role in the Kindertransport. An amazing Dutch woman called Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer was instrumental in organising the transport of a large number of children to England. When the train carrying the children arrived in Holland, groups of Dutch women entered the train and filled the train with warmth and motherly love to these ‘kinders’, feeding them hot chocolate and sandwiches. Children had been upset and anxious and missing their parents whom they left behind, not knowing when they might see them ever again…
We created a physical theatre piece exploring all these ideas and themes with eight female participants, four young people and four adults. Many of them had no previous performing experience.
We had a deep and meaningful time in Den Haag with our group. We all put our heart into it and made something so precious and beautiful. We performed it twice on 21 September 2024.
Click here for an interview I did for the Amare website:
Here's a report on the Amare website looking back on the Day of Peace:
Here's a piece about From Here On from the Good Chance website:
