THE MOORS Brings Migration Issues To The Bard's Black Characters

'The Moors', a thought-provoking new play from Two Gents Productions, created in association with Tara Arts, will premiere on 7 November 2018 at Tara Theatre, London. The play promises to be an engaging and inclusive theatre experience for audiences throughout its three week run up to 24 November.

The first play written solely by writer and actor Tonderai Munyevu, most recently seen in the highly acclaimed production 'Black Men Walking', 'The Moors' will be directed by Arne Pohlmeier and will see Munyevu and co-star Tunji Lucas tackle all of the plays' 10+ roles.

Now in its tenth anniversary year, Two Gents has garnered a reputation for a style of theatre heavily influenced by the South African play 'Woza Albert!' (Mtwa 1983) and the genre of workshopped theatre it represents. Their take on classic texts, reimagined into an alternative timeline or incorporating themes of migration and mixed heritage, has been seen on stages the world over, most notably Shakespeare's Globe ('Two Gentlemen of Verona', 2012).

Structured like a five-act romantic comedy, 'The Moors' will examine all three of Shakespeare's iconic black characters - Othello, Aaron (Titus Andronicus) and The Merchant of Venice's Prince of Morocco - through a contemporary lens. In staging a present-day tale of love, friendship and ambition in the context of the refugee crisis and the UK's hostile environment, 'The Moors' brings a fresh perspective to these well-known characters out of their established context.

'The Moors' tells the story of two refugees who say they are from Balaika, Africa and land in London in a search for Shakespeare; his stories are exactly like their lived experience, they claim. Finding themselves on stage at The Globe and drawing an audience with their 'authentic' African style - they impress the people at the Globe because they make Shakespeare's stories feel like real life experience. Will interference from immigration bungle their rise to love and glory? Will revelations of their true identities deter them from happiness?

Arne Pohlmeier, co-director of Two Gents with Munyevu and director of 'The Moors' commented: "Shakespeare paid a great deal of attention to race and racial issues in his writing, creating well developed black characters with their own strengths and flaws. In 'The Moors' we explore these characters and relate their experience back to the plight of African migrants in the UK today. Tonderai and Tunji give equal weight to the contemporary and the Shakespearean characters unearthing uncanny parallels in the Black experience both then (Renaissance England) and now (London 2018)."

A London based cross-cultural touring theatre company, Two Gents Productions is known for taking a unique perspective on classic texts; their performance of 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' in 2012 for Globe to Globe was called 'uproariously entertaining' and awarded four stars by The Guardian before embarking on an international tour.

'The Moors' is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.