Through the (in)visible witness in Through the Wire

Abstract

This essay analyses Through the Wire, an Australian verbatim play by and about asylum seekers, in order to investigate both the figure of the performing witness and the function of performing witness in and through theatre. It suggests that while the characters, actors and spectators involved in the play are all ‘performing witness(es)’, how they carry out their task differs.

Keywords:

• witnessing
• testimony
• verbatim theatre
• refugees and asylum seekers

Notes

1. The work of the Australian collective, Actors for Refugees, has been specifically described in these terms in promotional material.