Play Details
Context
Artistic Director
Vicky Featherstone
Co-production with LIFT, Brighton Festival, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Theaterformen, Le Quai Angers, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Maison des Arts de Créteil & Humain Trop Humain / CDN de Montpellier.
Dates Performed
Thursday 2nd November 2017
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Play Details
Synopsis
On a stark white stage that hovers between reality and memory, Marcelo stands alone, his weathered hands cradling a mortar shell turned relic. As he speaks, the years melt away, revealing the wide-eyed conscript who once trudged through the muddy fields of the Malvinas. Around him, like ghosts summoned from the fog of war, five other men emerge – former enemies now united in the delicate act of remembrance.
Lola Arias’ “Minefield” explodes the boundaries between documentary and fever dream. We watch as Lou, the ex-Royal Marine, relives the moment he cradled a dying Argentine soldier, his grief still raw decades later. Sukrim, the Gurkha warrior, dances with his legendary kukri knife, its blade glinting with both menace and grace. These men – once pawns in a geopolitical chess game – now stand shoulder to shoulder, their shared trauma a bridge across the language barrier.
As these veterans grapple with their younger selves – reckless, idealistic, terrified –the play evolves into a profound meditation on masculinity, nationalism, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. With each shared cigarette and halting conversation, we witness the slow, painful work of reconciliation – not just between former foes, but between the men they were and the men they’ve become.
Cast & Creative
Cast
Lou Armour
Cast
David Jackson
Cast
Rubén Otero
Cast
Sukrim Rai
Cast
Gabriel Sagastume
Cast
Marcelo Vallejo
Designer
Mariana Tirantte
Lighting
David Seldes
Video Designer