Curtain comes down on ‘Sex Actually’ but ‘We are still here’…
August 31, 2010 – Peter Hayes’ play I am here was a powerful example of how theatre can reach out and explore serious issues in an engaging and thought-provoking way.
Using a journey motif that depicted a pilgrimage, I am here was a reaffirmation and reassertion of humanity.
The play also became a moving metaphor for the daily struggle that an HIV-positive person goes through in trying to find new meaning in life. This is encapsulated in a line from the piece: “tomorrow is in your blood”.
The play was an exploration of the complexities of sex, love, trust, respect and honesty. The issues that the character wrestled with were real and vivid, and covered the sexuality spectrum. The burning question of disclosure – when a victim knows that all they have fear is loss of love and affection – was also highlighted.
In a nutshell I am here was not in any way a fictionalised or glamourised depiction of what it means to be HIV-positive, but rather it was a poignant portrayal which at times seemed autobiographical, yet with universal appeal.
I am here was beautifully acted and at the end left one with a sense that amidst the complexity of CD4 counts and viral loads, there is ultimately a human being who just wants to live, love and be loved.
I am here was an embodiment of the 2010 Drama for Life Festival theme ‘Sex Actually’. On many levels I believe the play succeeded in reaching out and speaking to each and every person who saw it about what being HIV-positive really means.
It also took a poignant look as how the will to live can mean the difference between something that many would view as a ‘death sentence’ and ‘life actually’.
By Tonderai Chiyindiko, DFL Festival Blogger-in-Residence