ROYAL COURT THEATRE ANNOUNCES BRITISH AND ARGENTINIAN FALKLAND WAR VETERANS FOR MINEFIELD BY LOLA ARIAS

Throughout June 2016 the Royal Court Theatre is partnering with LIFT as part of their biennial international festival to present a series of works exploring real experiences which have been developed in collaboration with international communities.
Lola Arias’ new work MINEFIELD, about the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas, is being developed with and performed by Argentinian and British veterans of the conflict. In a production that is political, playful and highly personal, Arias brings together soldiers who fought on opposite sides, giving them an opportunity to share with us and each other their first hand experiences on a battlefield 8000 miles from London.
Merging film, re-enactment and documentary theatre MINEFIELD blurs the lines between truth and fiction to give a fascinating insight into how and what people remember, and how war continues to cast a long shadow over the lives of its protagonists.

The performers include Lou Armour, David Jackson, Rubén Otero, Sukrim Rai, Gabriel Sagastume and Marcelo Vallejo.

Lou Armour was on the cover of every newspaper when the Argentines took him prisoner on 2 April 1982 and is now a special needs teacher. Rubén Otero survived the sinking of ARA General Belgrano and is now in a Beatles tribute band. David Jackson spent his time at war listening and transcribing radio codes and now listens to other veterans in his psychology practice. Gabriel Sagastume was a soldier who never wanted to shoot and is now a criminal attorney. Sukrim Rai was a Ghurka who knew how to use his knife and currently works as a security guard. Marcelo Vallejo was an aimer for mortar and is now a triathlon champion.

In a film set turned time machine, those who fought are transported into the past to reconstruct their war and aftermath memories in acclaimed Argentinian artist Lola Arias’ latest show. Confronting different versions of war, MINEFIELD brings together old enemies to tell one single story.

With design by Mariana Tirantte, lighting by David Seldes and music by Ulises Conti. MINEFIELD has a London premiere at the Royal Court 2 June as part of the LIFT Festival 2016 and transfers to Theaterformen Festival, Braunschweig Germany (15 – 16 June).

Commenting on the project, director Lola Arias said;

“I’m interested in investigating what happens with time. In fact, this piece needed time. It needed 34 years. War doesn’t interest me, post-war interests me. What matters to me is what happens to a person who went through that experience. What matters to me is what memory has done, what it has erased, what it has transformed. Some have become professional storytellers and my work was and is to undo this in order to know what happened to them.”

This is a Royal Court / LIFT co-production with Brighton Festival and Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Theaterformen, hTc – CDN de Montpellier and Le Quai Angers.

Lola Arias is a writer, director, actress and songwriter and a leading voice in Argentinian theatre. Her productions play with the overlap between realist and fiction and have seen her work with actors, non-actors, and animals. She took part in the Royal Court International Residency in 2003.

Lou Armour joined the Royal Marine Commandos in 1974, specialising as an infantry weapons instructor, helicopter abseil despatcher and military parachutist (land and sea jumps). Lou has served in Malta, Cyprus, Turkey, Italy, Sardinia, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Norway, USA and the West Indies. In 1979 he saw active service in Northern Ireland with 40 Commando RM. Three years later, on 2 April 1982, Lou was fighting on the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, taken prisoner, and returned to England, only to return with 42 Commando RM (21 May – 14 June) to fight again. After leaving the marines in 1986, Lou enrolled at Lancaster University where he read for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Art History, following which he wrote a PhD on the philosophy of colour. He has published on the logical grammar of colour concepts.

As a Royal Marine David Jackson served in Northern Ireland and the Falklands war. Today he is a leading expert in the social and cultural difficulties faced by war veterans and families within society, multi modal research and alternative representations of narratives. He is an honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, Director of Veteran to Veteran CIC, a successful psychotherapist who works with war veterans and their families and is also a writer and a musician. He was an academic advisor to Lord Ashcroft’s Veteran transition report and advises many small veteran charities throughout the UK. He studied psychology with the Open University and in 2002 completed his Masters in counselling studies. In 2010 he completed his Doctor of Education at the University of Bristol submitting a multi modal thesis about his experience of war and its aftermath. This was the first doctoral thesis of this kind internationally.

Rubén Otero graduated from technical college in 1980. During his military service in 1981 he was appointed to the General Belgrano Cruiser. On 2 May 1982 during the Malvinas War the cruiser was sunk and Rubén was rescued after spending 41 hours in a raft in the middle of the South Atlantic. In 1987 he started his own print shop and in 1992 he got married. They had 2 children. In 1997 he joined the Beatles Tribute band Get Back Trio playing the drums. In 2004 Get Back Trio was awarded with the Best Latin American Beatle Band Prize and in 2005 they played in The Cavern Liverpool. Today, Get Back Trio celebrates 19 years of work.

Sukrim Rai joined the British Army in 1976 and did his Recruit Training in Hong Kong. After 9 months he joined the 7th Gurkha Rifle Battalion in Brunei where he focused on jungle training. He later became a Company Recce Platoon member. He continued his training in Hong Kong, Brunei, Malaysia and UK and became a fully qualified NCO. In 1982 he fought in the Falklands War. He left the army in 1994 and joined the Gurkha Reserve Unit in Brunei where he worked until 2004. From 2004 until 2009 he worked as private security for Kroll Security in Iraq and then at Brooks University. He then took a superintendent position in a gold mine in Ghana until 2012. From 2013-2015 he was employed by Octavian Security Company.

Gabriel Sagastume was a conscript soldier of the Regiment 7 La Plata during the Malvinas/Falklands War (1982). He fought in the battle of Wireless Ridge. He studied law after the war and entered the judiciary of the province of Buenos Aires (1985) where he became an oral trial attorney. He participated in Malvinas veterans organisations helping fellow veterans with social, economic and work difficulties. He also lectures in schools and universities about war. He wrote two books about his experiences and his voyages to Malvinas Islands, La lluvia curó las heridas (2008) and El rock de las Malvinas (2012). He is married and he has a daughter.

Marcelo Vallejo was a conscript soldier from Regiment 6 and fought as a 120mm mortar man in Mount Williams. When he came back from the Malvinas he had lost his job. He worked in a tyre repair shop and later sold newspapers with his uncle. In 1985 he started working at Ford. 18 years later he lost the job due to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a result he spent 4 months at a psychiatric hospital. Marcelo learnt how to swim at the age of 40, then he started running and then cycling. He has now participated in 5 triathlon world series.

MINEFIELD will be accompanied by a Big Idea event. Lola Arias and members of the company will be in conversation with LIFT Artistic Director, Mark Ball post show on 3 June. The event is free with a ticket to that evening’s performance.

Ends
For more information or images please contact Daniela Lewy on
DanielaLewy@royalcourttheatre.com

Notes to Editors:

The Big Idea is a strand of work launched during Open Court, offering audiences radical thinking and provocative discussion inspired by the work on stage. The Big Idea seeks to foster debate and collaboration, bringing together leading thinkers and artists from all walks of life to engage with the big ideas of our times, through a series of debates and events.

Press Night: Friday 03 Jun 7.30pm, Minefield by Lola Arias, Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court

Listings Information:
MINEFIELD
By Lola Arias
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Thursday 02 Jun – Saturday 11 June 2016
Monday – Saturday 7.30pm
In English and Spanish with surtitles
Press Night Friday 03 June 7.30pm
Age Guidance 14+
Tickets £25-£20-£16 (Mondays all seats £10 available from 9am online on the day of performance)
Access £12 (plus a companion at the same rate) *ID required. All discounts subject to availability.

To download the full press release, click here