To Walk In Your Shoes, Theatre 503 – Review

Pros: To Walk In Your Shoes provides brilliant insight into the reality of asylum seekers’ and refugees’ lives.

Cons: There’s no interval so plan accordingly!
To Walk In Your Shoes, Theatre 503 – Review

Summary

Rating

60

Good

To Walk In Your Shoes is a powerful educational play that stuns you at times and makes you think.

I’m lucky to live 15 minutes from Theatre 503 but had never actually visited the theatre before. It’s safe to say that the venue shot up my list of favourite London theatres after watching this production thanks to its impressively intimate nature. I definitely plan to return sooner rather than later and would recommend arriving early to grab a lovely dinner at the Latchmere pub downstairs beforehand where you can have a chat with the friendly bar staff and enjoy the buzzy atmosphere.

To Walk In Your Shoes is a moving verbatim play that compiles real life interviews with asylum seekers and refugees living in the North of England. The production has toured a number of venues but this one night only performance at Theatre 503 was the show’s first performance in London. Created by RedBobble Theatre Company, founded by Kelly Munro-Fawcett, Louisa May Parker and Martha Simon, the production fits with the company’s ambition to produce “challenging, inspiring and inclusive” theatre.

To Walk In Your Shoes explores the stories of people who are often unheard or ignored by society and features accounts from Syrian, Iranian, Pakistani and Eritrean asylum seekers and refugees which tug on the heart strings and emphasise how strong the human spirit really is. John Afzal narrates the play, with the rest of the company introducing individuals’ stories to the audience. The whole company are excellent storytellers and left the audience breathless.

If you are able to catch another performance of To Walk In Your Shoes while the show is on its UK tour, do yourself a favour and don’t miss it. This is an important piece of theatre that sheds led on a subject that is often misunderstood. This important production will make you empathise, think deeply and will linger with you long afterwards.

Author: Rebekah Harrison
Director: Martha Simon
Assistant Director: Neale S McGrath
Producer: RedBobble Theatre Company
Booking Information: This show has now completed its run in London but is touring elsewhere in the UK.