In support of the people of Afghanistan, Windmill is donating the box office income of the 7:30pm performance of Amphibian on Saturday 25 September, with proceeds being donated to Baba Mazari Foundation.
Created by Windmill’s Associate Director Sasha Zahra and award-winning South Australian playwright Duncan Graham, Amphibian tells the story of Chloe and Hassan, two students who are sent out of class under suspicion of stealing money while feeding the class axolotl. Over the course of the lesson, the audience hears two stories of displacement: one from a girl who is finding her feet in a new city, and one from a young Afghan boy who has travelled alone, across land and sea, for a chance at a new life.
“Amphibian was developed in 2017 and premiered in 2018 during a time when stories of displaced unaccompanied minors were dominating the news cycle.” says Director Sasha Zahra, “It is devastating to see people, especially young people, from Afghanistan continue to be displaced all these years later. I’m incredibly proud of this show and proud to be able to use it as a means of supporting people in the country.”
The play was developed through an intensive consultation process with photographer Muzafar Ali and visual artist Elyas Alavi. Amphibian draws on these testimonies to create a poignant and accessible portrait of the refugee experience.
“Being part of the creation of Amphibian was incredibly rewarding,” says Muzafar Ali, “it’s been wonderful to see the stories of young people in Afghanistan shared with so many Australians. To have the provide material benefit to people in the country is important, and very special.”
With teams in Adelaide, Melbourne and Kabul, Baba Mazari Foundation provides support for children and victims of terrorist attacks throughout Afghanistan, as well as broader community and environmental projects across the globe. In recent days the foundation has committed to donating $100,000 to assisting displaced people from the region, with the funds from the performance of Amphibian going directly towards those efforts.
“This is a time of extreme uncertainty for so many people across the globe as they work towards contacting people and getting their loved ones to safety,” says Baba Mazari Foundation Board Member, Kazim Darwish, “to have artists not only drawing attention to the issues that young people face in Afghanistan but assisting us in our efforts to help them is really heartening. The issues in Afghanistan are complex and for people to provide financial support while also gaining insight into the experiences of those living there is invaluable to helping our cause.”
“What we find really inspiring about young audiences is their passion and motivation to drive positive change,” says Windmill’s Artistic Director Rosemary Myers, “and Amphibian is the type of show that really spurs people into action: it’s so passionate and human in its approach to a really difficult issue. We hope the community gets behind Baba Mazari Foundation and their work with the people of Afghanistan.”
The show is accompanied by the digital experience, Across Land & Sea: Muzafar’s True Story, which sees the story of Muzafar Ali brought to life in an immersive documentary platform. Blending illustration, animation and video interviews, the experience is provided free of charge to audiences via the Windmill website.
Amphibian will perform to schools and general audiences in the Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre from 21-25 September.
Donations to the Baba Mazari Foundation can be made via their website.
Purchase your tickets to Amphibian here.
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