As a part of the REFUGE series, Palestinian artist Farah Saleh and Turkish musician Oğuz Kaplangı bring ‘A Wee Journey’ to the Edinburgh International Festival for its world premiere. A production that uses both choreography and live music to convey lived experiences of migration and refuge-hood. Specifically, it depicts the journeys made to Scotland. The production can be seen at The Studio from 16th – 20th August.
This production was a deeply personal and collaborative one. The stories being told were inspired by the lives of the artists involved. The purpose of the piece was to evoke empathy whilst inviting the audience to experience a perspective that may be very different from their own. These objectives were undoubtedly achieved.
The choice to use choreography to tell this type of story proved highly effective. Dance is a universal language, and so the audience instantly connected to the performers and needed simply to focus on the style of movements to understand the emotional conflicts and intentions of the artists. Saleh’s work was powerful, engaging and endearing. There was strength and purpose behind each maneuver. There were brief periods during the show where the music would stop yet the dancing continued, which created a sense of perseverance that was captivating.
The first thing to be observed when entering the space was Kaplangı playing guitar in solitude, surrounded by haze. Not only did that set up suggest uncertainty – a key aspect of any type of travel – it also drew in the audience very quickly. The music by Kaplangı was excellent, and beautifully complimented the choreography. Later in the piece, he instructed everyone in the room to close their eyes, listen to one of his songs and remember a past journey they had. This was a great way to strengthen the bond between the audience and the artists and inspire personal reflection.
It’s equally important to note the talents of the ensemble cast that performed throughout the piece. (Daniel Navarro Lorenzo, Francesca Till, Kemono L. Riot, Nada Shawa and Pirita Tuisku.) They communicated their stories with a focus and determination that was thoroughly gripping. It was refreshing to see such diversity on stage, as well as exciting!
To have these riveting performers move together as one really cemented the concept that anyone could become a refugee or need to migrate across borders.
Along with the performances, the distinct use of the colour blue is worth discussing. Everyone wore individual costumes with varying shades of blue. A colour that is often associated with sadness yet known to symbolise bravery, freedom, sensitivity and trust. It reflected the complexity of the mental and physical journey that the artists experienced whilst reinforcing a state of unity by having everyone in the same colour. An impactful costume choice.
The set itself was very minimal. A black backdrop with only instruments in a corner at the back. This meant the attention of the audience was entirely on the performers, which worked well. However, it would have been beneficial from a storytelling angle if there had been some bolder choices made in terms of lighting. There was a point where the performers were placed in blue spotlights that almost boxed them in which was a powerful visual and more moments like that could’ve highlighted key emotional conflicts or environmental challenges being depicted throughout.
Ultimately, ‘A Wee Journey’ was a beautiful piece of compelling work that is unlikely to ever lose its relevance. The production gave invaluable insight into lived experiences and celebrated the wealth of talent and diversity to be found in Scotland. I very highly recommend that you see it.
Ticket link:
Theatre Scotland 
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