UPROOTED

New Diorama Theatre

★★★★

“The cast work brilliantly as a collective with vigour, passion and conviction to tell this important story”

‘Uprooted’ is a piece of eco-feminist, political theatre devised by the multi-award-winning Ephemeral Ensemble. Directed by its co-founder – Brazilian theatre maker and director Ramon Ayres, Ephemeral Ensemble’s last show ‘Rewind’ was one of The Guardian’s 10 best theatre shows of 2024. Rest assured, ‘Uprooted’ does not disappoint; it is an emotionally charged and highly visceral, immersive piece of physical theatre with an urgent ecological and political message.

Set in Latin America, ‘Uprooted’ focuses on local and indigenous communities that have been ransacked by extractionist companies. It gives a voice to the powerful women who attempt to defend their native homeland and exposes the devastating human and ecological consequences of late-stage capitalism and the global corporations that are responsible for ecological rape. ‘Uprooted’ does not hold back; the relationship between ecological rape and sexual violence against women is harrowingly depicted when one of the women is forcibly taken by masked invaders and violated by the huge, writhing silver chute they carry and manoeuvre.

Physical theatre is a hallmark of this piece. The cast – Eygló Belafonte, Josephine Tremelling, Louise Wilcox and Vanessa Guevara Flores – work brilliantly as a collective with vigour, passion and conviction to tell this important story. Alex Paton, live instrumentalist, is also the master of this original musical composition; he expertly transports us to the magical beauty of the rainforest but equally, through harsh and discordant sound, into darker territory during scenes of ecological violation and disaster. The live music is a real highlight of the show.

Lighting designer, Josephine Tremelling, and the set designer (who is not explicitly named in the available credits) equally make a massive contribution to the immersive theatricality of the piece – whether it be their miniature homes that glow in significant bright colours, the luminous jungle creatures or the huge shadows cast from the constantly moving lighting poles bedecked with chains which are used to evoke a forest.

Ramon Ayres, the director, has worked tirelessly with the actors to attain a masterful level of physical theatre in each scene. The way that the actors transform object after object into something completely different is a theatrical wonder to behold: a dumpster becomes a house, sheer fabric is used to represent a river, and a giant chute is used to represent the forces of colonialism, capitalism and patriarchy. However, there were some earlier scenes that did not quite hit the mark. They presented the audience with powerful stage images, but I felt the nuanced dynamics that underpinned them could have been dramatically explored further.

The decision to break the fourth wall and engage the audience more directly is a brave one but makes for a more emotionally powerful audience experience – particularly towards the end. As I left the theatre, I was reminded of the visionary, left-wing Brazilian theatre director and dramatist, Augusto Boal, perhaps best knows as the author of the 1974 classic ‘Theatre of the Oppressed.’ As the audience moves from being mere spectators of the unfolding action and towards the status of ‘spect-actor’, the message could not be clearer: this is not just a story pertinent to those living under oppressive conditions in Latin America. We are all interconnected; the choices we make either align us with the oppressed or our oppressors.

UPROOTED

New Diorama Theatre

Reviewed on 30th September 2025

by Tim Graves

Photography by Alex Brenner

UPROOTED

THE RETURN at the Cockpit Theatre

★★★

“another thought-provoking production in the Voila! Europe Festival“

Performer Natasha Stanic Mann presents a devised solo piece called The Return as part of The Cockpit Theatre’s Voila Europe! 2022 Festival. With the assistance of a group of international artists, Stanic Mann has put together a short show, performed in English and Croatian, which explores the hidden consequences of war, and the migrations that are often the result of blood-soaked conflict.

Stanic Mann is an engaging artist. She welcomes us in her world with smiles and humour, music and dance. This lightness of touch is essential when one considers that the story she tells us is really one of tragedy heaped upon tragedy. The Return is the story of her family, who have been involved in not just one migration as the result of war, but many. It’s a common experience in what used to be known as Eastern Europe—and Natasha, as she introduces herself—gives us a quick lesson in the complicated geography of that region. It begins in Ukraine with her great grandparents, moves to Bosnia where her father was born, and then Croatia. Bosnia and Croatia used to be part of one country, and Natasha also educates us about the harrowing breakup of Yugoslavia, told through the experiences of one who lived it. At every step, Natasha deals with the difficulties of moving countries, languages, cultures—not helped by petty bureaucrats in each new situation. She has come onto the stage barefoot, she tells us, because bare feet are a metaphor for migrants. This is heavy material, but at any moment, Natasha engages our attention, and our sympathy, with a Czech folk song, Doris Day singing Che sera, sera, or a poem from her own Croatia. The Return will be an eye opener for anyone whose family has been rooted in the same spot for hundreds of years. The Return is also a reminder that war can come back at any moment to uproot the lives of a new generation.

This is rich, compelling material for a drama. If anything, fifty-five minutes is not really long enough to get to grips with it, in a way that is completely satisfying. But given that this is a solo performance, Stanic Mann makes a good beginning in the time allowed. Assisted by director Andres Velasquez, and artistic collaborators Filomena Campus, Emily Harwood, Steve North and Valentino Nioi, Stanic Mann engages directly with her audience. There is very little in the way of staging. Instead, she readily approaches audience members, asking questions, introducing songs and poems in a friendly, one to one way. She makes her points lightly. It is the lighting (Josephine Tremelling) and sound (Chris Prosho) that adds the darker, more tragic mood.

The Return is another thought-provoking production in the Voila! Europe Festival, and an opportunity to see some of Europe’s most intriguing emerging companies and their latest work.

If the work of Natasha Stanic Mann and her fellow artists, and other, equally experimental companies, appeals to you, keep an eye open for future festivals like this one at the Cockpit Theatre.

Tag Archives: Josephine Tremelling

UPROOTED

★★★★

New Diorama Theatre

UPROOTED

New Diorama Theatre

★★★★

“The cast work brilliantly as a collective with vigour, passion and conviction to tell this important story”