Stories of Refugees & Asylum Seekers Living in New York City

Conceived by Mud/Bone Collective and created in collaboration with the ensemble

Contributing Artists: Christopher Burris, Sandi Carroll, Andrea Ciannavei, Jordan Dann, Sarah Douglas, Lydia Fort, Kerry Huang, Jennifer Kidwell, Mahayana Landowne

Mud/Bone is currently developing Impossible Country, an interactive performance project that sheds light on the diverse experiences of refugees fleeing injustice and persecution and beginning new lives in New York City. Inspired by the true stories of an interpreter from Iraq, an artist from Rwanda, a journalist from Pakistan, a doctor from Colombia, a dancer from Egypt, a director from Serbia, and an actor from Russia, Impossible Country explores what it means to leave behind everything you know and start anew.

Through a partnership with CAMBA, a refugee resettlement organization, Mud/Bone conducted theater workshops and interviews with this group of incredible individuals.  In the workshops, we explored creative ways to construct and share individual stories in an artistic, meaningful and compelling manner. Impossible Country is collaboratively created by Mud/Bone company members based on the stories the workshop participants shared with us.

A workshop presentation of Impossible Country was presented at High School for Contemporary Arts in the Bronx on May 22nd and May 26th as part of an Arts in Education workshop. In June 2010, a full-length workshop production of Impossible Country premiered as a part of The Performance Project at University Settlement.

Photo: Daniel Perez