EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- Knock Knock

Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.

Email:

Existing user? Just click login.

KNOCK KNOCK is an immersive physical mono-drama, that tells the story of Ilana, a single mother, who works as a liaison officer for the army, supporting families who've lost their sons and daughters to the wars. Part of her job is to KNOCK on doors and deliver the worst message of all. But when the time comes for her own only son to wear the army uniform, she faces a life-changing dilemma. Inspired by real life situations, and with a lot of humour, KNOCK KNOCK cuts through the thick curtain of politics to tell a story about parenthood,

friendship, love and sacrifice.

It's a one hour long one-man show. It's inventive, funny, gut kicking, thought provoking. It's a mirror to society and a window to life in the Middle-East. Edinburgh, being the biggest theatre festival in the world, is the natural step for KNOCK KNOCK, after its successful runs in London and Leeds.

KNOCK KNOCK deals with national service and bereavement from a unique point of view: Parenthood. How would you raise your child, if you knew that one day their turn will come to hold a rifle? How is it to grow up in a place where children are destined to be soldiers from

the day they are born, and where every parent has their own army uniform in the attic? When the world media talks about wars and conflicts, the implications on the simple life aspects are rarely being discussed.

Since the UK is not a country where war (or on-going terrorism and the like) directly impacts on the fabric of the citizens' daily lives, it's hard to imagine the reality of what that may be like to live with. Moreover, in certain parts of the world, parents raising children know that, when they get to their late teens, their kids will be sent off to do national service in the armed forces, risking their futures and possibly their lives in the process. It's almost impossible from the "vantage" point here in the UK to appreciate the torment parents experience in those circumstances, or indeed the impact on the young people themselves. KNOCK KNOCK can give some insight into those issues.

It's based on real events. It's fusing spoken monologues with physical theatre and mime. The writing and directing of the show encourages the audience to participate from their seats in the darkness and actively "complete the picture" in their minds, and make connections between the hints, clues and ideas. Have I mentioned that I am playing the mother in the story?