A quartet of plays tackling the subject of female genital mutilation (FGM) will play at London’s Theatre503, Arcola Tent and Gate Theatre this summer.
Entitled Little Stitches and produced by BAREtruth Theatre Company, the show features the work of Raul Quiros Molina, Bahar Brunton, Isley Lynn and Karis E Halsall.
Though rarely spoken about openly until relatively recently, and criminalised in the UK nearly three decades ago, it is estimated that 66,000 women in Britain have suffered FGM, with more than 20,000 girls at risk each year. Worldwide, more than 140 million women and girls have been affected.
The plays in Little Stitches approach the subject from different angles. Molina’s Where Do I Start? Is a verbatim piece drawing testimony from nurses, survivors and activists, while Brunton’s Dancing Feet is a tale of a party for a girl who cannot smile. Lynn’s Sleight Of Hand questions how well we know our neighbours, and Halsall’s Mutant examines choice and the devastating effect of not having one.
The production, which runs at Theatre 503 from 21 to 27 August, the Arcola on 29 and 30 August, and at the Gate on 10 September, is directed by Charlotte Westenra, whose previous shows include the recent site-specific hit Venice Preserv’d and Kiss Of The Spider Woman at the Donmar Warehouse.