Cast members of the West End show The Kite Runner have used a curtain call to criticise Donald Trump’s executive order shutting America’s borders to all refugees as well as travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Actor Emilio Doorgasingh read out a statement on stage saying that as a company from a range of ethnic and religious backgrounds they felt it was important to speak out on the issue.
“The one thing that unites us is our belief in humanity. This is not just a play about refugees, it’s a play about love, about hope, and about redemption,” he said.
He quoted comments from Khaled Hosseini, the Muslim-American author of the book on which the play is based, who settled in the US as a refugee. The book and play tell the story of two Afghan boys, one of whom eventually moves to America.
“[Hosseini] points out that this executive order would target ‘Muslim families, most of whom are women and children, escaping years of atrocity and unspeakable suffering’. He goes on to say that this is a time ‘for compassion and solidarity, not divisive policy that undermines our core values,’” Doorgasingh told the audience.
“We as a company embrace these sentiments, and we hope you’ll do the same through your compassion, your generosity and actions, however small, that might help alleviate the plight of the world’s refugees and displaced peoples.”
A few words from the cast to express our thoughts on Donald Trump's travel ban. https://t.co/aHSocOpe1I
— The Kite Runner (@TheKiteRunnerUK) February 1, 2017
The speech received a standing ovation from the audience at Wyndham’s theatre on Tuesday night.
Last week after Trump issued his executive order, the author Hosseini shared his own refugee story and condemned the measure.
My full statement on the recent executive order. pic.twitter.com/6z9FrrkqHW
— Khaled Hosseini (@khaledhosseini) January 29, 2017
The executive order flies in the face of the very same principles on which this nation was built: tolerance and justice.
— Khaled Hosseini (@khaledhosseini) January 29, 2017
On Tuesday Hosseini urged his Twitter followers to remember that refugees were “ordinary people who once had a place in the world and no longer do. No one chooses their fate”. In response, the UN Refugee Agency thanked him for standing with refugees.
Refugees do not want to leave their home, leave their community, and leave their friends. No one does.
— Khaled Hosseini (@khaledhosseini) January 31, 2017
Refugee children are deprived of the wonders of childhood. They suffer more in their few years than most of us will in our lifetime.
— Khaled Hosseini (@khaledhosseini) January 31, 2017
Refugees & their children deserve nothing but compassion and kindness.
— Khaled Hosseini (@khaledhosseini) January 31, 2017
Doorgasingh’s speech was not the first time actors on stage have commented on the new Trump administration. In November, the cast of the Broadway hit Hamilton addressed the incoming vice-president, Mike Pence, who was in the audience.
“We, sir, are of the diverse America, who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights,” the actor Brandon Dixon read from a letter. “But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us.”
Donald Trump hit back at the plea, tweeting: “The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!”
