On Thursday me and Lisa B (my fellow Drama teacher who I set up the department with, and prime theatre buddy!) went to see "as the mother of a brown boy..." the second run of the show after the first re-telling of this touching yet beautiful and tragic story in 2007.
This one hour show tells the story of Mischa Niering a former pupil of Chickenshed who died aged 19 in a fatal accident involving the Police.
The narrative is told through the recorded voice of Mischa's mother, and her perspective on the journey of her son, from being a beautiful baby boy in her arms, to growing up to be a son she was proud of.
There is no sugar coating in the story either. As an audience member being taken through some of the key events in Mischa's life, and some of the Mother's observations, it is clear that there were times when his life bought her great joy, times when it brought her sadness, and times in which she experienced confusion over his decisions and actions.
The main message here in this story is that of LOVE. A mother's great love for her son, and her desperate need to want the very best for him. The special bond that she shared reminded me of my own relationship with my family, and how they may have felt about some of the decisions I made growing up. How I may have caused them stress or hurt or even joy at times. This I know is a wonderful result of Chickenshed's work, always giving the audience the ability to think deeply and reflect on how we behave as human beings, and how we treat and care for one another.
The use of multimedia, music and movement in this story is a magic combination. The music and movement highlights certain moments perfectly. I loved the use of India Arie's 'Brown Skin' and the way it highlighted the beauty of being mixed race. I particularly enjoyed the use of the boxes being repositioned on stage for different purposes, and the 'parkour' quality the playground scene in which the actors portrayed Mischa's schooldays.
From what I could see, at least half of the audience shed a tear throughout this production, as we were all hit with the reality that a life that was so precious was taken away so quickly, especially in a time of growth and progress for Mischa.
This production is not around for long, but if you want to see some of the excellent work that Chickenshed do, go and pay them a visit, as they have a brilliant programme of work coming up. This company stand for inclusivity and showing the value of young people, and this production shows that perfectly.
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