It is 1995 and idealistic young war photographer, Sebastian, witnesses the suicide of a man through the lens of his camera. On the same day in Syria, a six-year-old artist, known throughout the play as Nameless, draws a picture of Simba from The Lion King, before her father is dragged away by ‘bald-headed thugs’. Through a series of alternating poetic, stream-of-consciousness-style monologues, Henry Naylor's play cleverly juxtaposes the two narratives of Sebastian and Nameless into the present day.
Nameless (because ‘only the powerful have names’) grows up to join the revolution in Syria, expressing her resentment and rebellion through graffiti art. Sebastian, who at the start of the play wants to use his photography to change the world and highlight the plight of the poor and suffering, becomes a sell-out, photographing celebrities for fat paychecks. Uncomfortably, it is a photograph of Osama Bin Laden that gifts him fame and fortune. Both characters are artists of sorts, but it is Nameless who stays true to her vision and principles to the end, drawing her own lines.
This is a thought provoking and poignant text, which asks important questions about the role of art in politics. However, for me, the most disturbing part of the play is Sebastian's realisation that the aspirations of Osama Bin Laden – carving a deep divide between East and West – have ultimately come to fruition through the contemporary surge in the popularity of right-wing politics. Recent political events gain a haunting potency when pitched against the plight of drowning Syrian refugees.
As a Drama teacher, I will be using selected monologues from the play with my current GCSE students, who are soon to begin their devising process. The issues raised by the play feel more topical than ever and the style in which it is written will be a useful way to inspire students to write without censorship. It also feels like it would lend itself to a physical theatre approach. Although there are only two characters, there are plenty more who speak within the monologues, opening it up to interpretation by a larger ensemble cast.
At the end of the play, the border between the two characters is eventually broken down as they finally meet in a dramatic conclusion, a profound blending of two seemingly irreconcilable worlds.