A filmed version of Whose Blood is now available to view online. Please check it out using the following links
Of Rites and Rituals
My play Whose Blood is now three weeks into its run, and yet it has taken me this long to fully understand its meaning. Only now that the play is in the hands of the director, actors, and technicians, do I fully see its power.
All theatre is an event (the event of people coming together to witness a story) but what makes Whose Blood so unusual is that it is being performed in an actual 19th Century Operating Theatre. The drama is therefore a recreation of what might have occurred there. The play tells the story of a couple in 1832 who face a difficult choice about a surgery, but what makes the play so unusual is that they are standing in the actual space where they would have made that decision.
I have come to fully realize that the play is not so much a play, as it is an event. It is the event of witnessing a story which blurs the line between past and present, history and reality. The actors bring to life a story that has remained hidden until now. The play is actually a rite or a ritual. It calls to life the stories of those whose blood lies in the floorboard on which we sit. I am proud to be a witness.
Whose Blood Review: Afridiziak
Afridiziak Review ★★★★: “Bank Cider’s production of Alex Burger’s award winning play Whose Blood, succeeds in emitting the feeling of the hopelessness and defeat that came with sickness and often the subsequent death of operating in the 19th century. . . . an experience that leaves a lasting and memorable presence.”
Whose Blood Director Interview
An interview with Karena Johnson, Whose Blood‘s director.
Whose Blood: Opening Night
The play has opened and we’re sold out for the entire run. Wonderful and still terrifying.
BBC Interview: Whose Blood
Director Karena Johnson and I interviewed on the BBC for my new play Whose Blood
Whose Blood Review (and response): Time Out
Time Out says ★★ Readers say ★★★★
Time Out (Andrzej Lukowski): “Full of interesting titbits about medicine of the day (including the body-snatching exploits of the ‘resurrectionists’) and the experiences of African immigrants in Victorian London, Burger would appear to know his stuff. But convincing dialogue and character eldue him. . . . Much of what happens in ‘Whose Blood’ is reported not enacted.”
Reader Review: “Something that struck me about this play is that it is unique to anything else on the London stage at the moment. Efua tells us what happens in a way not dissimilar to how tales and fables are told in a lot of African culture. She’s a storyteller and plays her heart out, inviting the audience to be part of the story. Perhaps Andrzej is not familiar with African theatre.”
Whose Blood Review: The Londonist
Londonist Review “Bankcider [Productions] pack[s] a lot into just over an hour. Alex Burger’s script, Karena Johnson’s direction and the excellent performances of the cast elevate Whose Blood beyond [the ordinary]. Whose Blood is a moving, touching, thought-provoking piece of theatre.”
Whose Blood Review: London Fringe
Tracey Daniel on Whose Blood ★★★★ “Candice Onyeama’s portrayal of Efua is hauntingly beautiful. The role is played with such intensity that you have no choice but to be drawn into her world, walking step by step with her as she makes life-changing decisions.”
Whose Blood Cast and Director Speak
We open tomorrow night with Whose Blood. You can see the cast and director speak on-line about at the play
Director Karena Johnson
Candic Onyemama: Efua Kuntu
Charlie Folorunsho: Abakah Kuntu
John Gorrick: Samuel Carter
Mark Hawkins: Hugo Forester