BECOMING BENNO Comes to the Adelaide International Arts Festival
The performance is on Monday, 24 February 2025.
South African actor and Australian Global Artistic Talent Visa recipient Ben Voss will have a one night only preview of his solo show Becoming Benno at the Sandton Theatre on the Square on 24th February 2025, the night before he flies out to perform at the Adelaide International Arts Festival in Australia.
At Sydney Airport, with his wife and child waiting anxiously at arrivals, Ben—a washed-up actor—is unexpectedly detained by immigration due to an issue with his Permanent Residency Visa. What was to be his first hour as an Australian becomes an hour of uncertainty…
As Ben oscillates between confidence that he’ll be admitted and panic at the possibility of rejection, he reflects on the challenges and emotions of moving countries. Armed with his 7kg hand luggage and a copy of Qantas Spirit of Australia magazine, he delves into themes of identity, family, and belonging, with humour and heartfelt insight.
At the heart of his musings lies a central question: Is he running from his old life or toward a new one?
While waiting, Ben encounters Mr. Brody, a meticulous Border Security officer; Arisha, a Mumbai resident visiting her Australian grandchild and Jared, a British cleaner.
Ben Voss shared: "I am immigrating to Australia in December 2024 and wanted to create a deeply personal piece of theatre to unpack the gamut of emotions that come with the three-year journey to residency. What better setting than a Border Force interrogation room—a no-man’s-land between an old and new life? The audience will be on the edge of their seats, wondering if this poor guy will stumble at the final hurdle and lose the future he’s spent years dreaming about."
With a heartfelt script, an irrepressible performance, and a cast of diverse characters brought to life by a single performer, Becoming Benno tells the story of a man reinventing himself and finding hope—and humour—in his journey Down Under.
Becoming Benno is directed by Michael Richard with best-selling playwright and novelist John van de Ruit as dramaturge.
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