Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea heads to London’s Park Theatre

Italian playwright Emanuele Aldrovandi’s Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea gets its English-language premiere in London this September.

The Playwright’s Laboratory, a new writing theatre company, presents the first translation of Italian playwright Emanuele Aldrovandi’s satirical and absurdist play from 13 – 30 September at Park Theatre.

Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea is Set in a not-too-distant future where Europe’s economies have collapsed, the play darkly reflects the continent’s migration crisis. Three travelers, once turned away from countries that closed their borders to migrants, are now forced to flee those very nations. Placing their lives in the hands of a mysterious people-smuggler, they embark on a harrowing journey in a claustrophobic shipping container, hoping for a better life.

The piece explores the contingency of migrant status, the fragility of civil society, and the consequences of ignoring the power of the natural world. Emanuele Aldrovandi, an award-winning Italian playwright, brings his thought-provoking work to international audiences, with his plays translated, performed, and published in various languages.

The talented cast includes Yasmine Haller, Felix Garcia Guyer, Will Bishop and Marco Young.

Director Daniel Emery said: “Italy and Britain have in common that our stories of irregular migration are dominated by the imaginarium of the sea. And we share governments prepared to turn sea crossings into contested political sites, over and above humanitarian concerns.

“This is the truth into which Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea launches. It has only gained in resonance in the seven years since its writing: the Mediterranean crisis has become an annual event, and we have seen its refracted image in the North Sea. Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea places this violence at its heart.”

For more information and tickets, visit parktheatre.co.uk