BABYLON: Journeys of Refugees

SANDGLASS THEATER’s action-packed, high-energy production is a response to the worldwide refugee crisis and it’s impact on communities in the United States. Working with the USCRI Vermont (US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants), we seek to understand the challenges that face refugees and asylum seekers. Sandglass conducted research and interviews with new residents who immigrated to the US in order to gain insight into their plight and the challenges of resettlement. Babylon looks at the relationship of refugees to their homelands, lost and new, and the conflicts that exist within the countries to which they flee. Using puppets and moving panoramic scrolls, five actor/singer/puppeteers tell refugees’ stories in original four-part choral songs. Film by Haptic Pictures.

This event includes an artist discussion and Q&A and Somali Bantu catering by chef Said Bulle of Jilib Jiblets.

TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/274571683

Babylon: journeys of refugees was made possible with funding by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Theater Project, with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Additional support for Babylon was awarded from The National Endowment for the Arts, The Fresh Sound Foundation, The Jim Henson Foundation, The McKenzie Family Charitable Trust, The Vermont Community Foundation, The National Performance Network with commissions from The Flynn Center, Portland Ovations, Columbia College Chicago Center for Community Arts Partnerships. Additional touring support is provided through the generosity of The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art’s Building Bridges Program and by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Theater Project, with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.