A special performance of the play the THE LADY OF BURMA at Soho Theatre as part of the International Day of Action in support of a Free Burma.
THE LADY OF BURMA
by Richard Shannon
with Liana Mau Tan Gould as Aung San Sui Kyi
At Soho Theatre + Writers’ Centre,
21 Dean Street, London W1
On Friday 5th October at 7.45pm
Box office: 0870 4296883
(places to be reserved – donations to be made on the door).
The life story of Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be presented as a play at the Soho Theatre in London this Friday (5th October), as part of the worldwide series of events to demonstrate solidarity with the current democracy campaign in Burma.
The play, which premiered to sell-out audiences at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, tells the inspirational true story in a compelling solo performance by actress Liana Mau Tan Gould, celebrating the life of the only Nobel Peace Prize winner who is also a political prisoner. Despite being the democratically elected leader of the country, Burma’s military junta have kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for over a decade.
This powerful performance enjoyed sell-out appearances at the Edinburgh festival and also at the Old Vic, where it was presented by the Burma Campaign UK in November 2006 to highlight the human rights’ abuses in Burma. Not only is this an important documentary of the Free Burma campaign, the play is an unmissable hymn to the power of the human spirit in the quest for freedom and justice.
’Tells it all –and catches the pain and wry humour inside that tiny frame and strong, wise face.’ The Times
‘A clever, effective script that requires little in the way of prior knowledge of Burma to thoroughly entrance you.’ Metro
’Rarely is a show so powerful.’ **** The Independent
The Burma Campaign UK is part of a global movement to promote democracy and human rights in Burma. A full profile is available at:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/aboutburma/aung_san_suu_kyi.htm
Press Contact for The Lady of Burma: Louise Chantal 07976 418232 –
louisejchantal@aol.com
Burma Campaign UK: Suki Dusanj +44 (0) 770 311 2626) –
suki.dusanj@burmacampaign.org.uk
LISTING INFORMATION:
A special performance of THE LADY OF BURMA in support of the Burma Campaign UK.
Venue: Soho Theatre + Writers’ Centre, 21 Dean Street, London W1
Date: Friday 5th October at 7.45pm
Box office: 0870 4296883/www.sohotheatre.com
Prices: Pay-What-You-Can donation on the door to the Burma Campaign UK (suggested minimum donation £5.00). However, as seating is limited, places must be reserved in the box office in advance.
Notes to Editors
*Aung San Suu Kyi isn’t allowed to see her two sons, grandchildren, family, friends or colleagues as all visitors are banned. Her phone line is cut and her post is intercepted. In 1999 Suu Kyi’s husband, Michael Aris, dying of cancer, was refused permission by the Burmese authorities to visit his wife for one last time. Many of her supporters have been jailed or killed, notably in the Depayin massacre of May 2003, when up to a hundred people were beaten to death by a regime militia.
* Aung San Suu Kyi is the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner. In addition to being a Nobel laureate, she was awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament, and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was held under house arrest from 1989-1995, and again from 2000-2002. She was again arrested in May 2003 after the Depayin massacre. She is currently under house arrest in Rangoon. Aung San Suu Kyi’s message is a simple one – that only by ‘fighting fear can you truly be free’ – a message Burma’s military fears and aims to silence.
* Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal and corrupt regimes in the world responsible for the widespread use of forced labour. Over one million people have been forced from their homes since 1988. Prior to the recent unrest there were at least 1,100 political prisoners in Burma, many of whom are routinely tortured, and as many as 70,000 child soldiers – more than any other country in the world. Rape is used as a weapon of war against women and children. Nearly half the government budget is spent on the military and just 19p per person per year on health. One in ten children die before their fifth birthday. Yet Burma is rich in natural resources and enjoyed a thriving economy until the military took over the government.
QUOTES:
Statement from Annie Lennox – 26th September 2007 “The whole world is watching Burma, a country whose people have been repressed by a brutal military dictatorship for too long. The peaceful protest that began only days ago by Buddhist monks is coming to a climax. We wait to see if it will culminate in yet another bloody massacre.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, and rightful leader of Burma, has been forcefully and criminally interned under house arrest for too many years. It is time for Burma to be set free. It is time for justice and human rights to prevail”
STATEMENT from Archbishop Desmond Tutu – November 2006 ‘She is my pin-up! She inspires me with her gentle determination…. Men, armed to the teeth, are running scared of her. When those men are no more than the flotsam and jetsam of history, her name will be emblazoned in letters of gold. She has already won, and they know they have lost. I love her, and I am in awe of her.’
Press Contact for The Lady of Burma: Louise Chantal 07976 418232 –
louisejchantal@aol.com
Burma Campaign UK: Suki Dusanj +44 (0) 770 311 2626) –
suki.dusanj@burmacampaign.org.uk