Borders by Henry Naylor

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.