Instructions for Border Crossing
written and performed by Daniel Bye
directed by Alex Swift
design by Hannah Sibai
lighting design by Katharine Williams
sound design by Mariam Rezaei
dramaturgy by Sarah Punshon
produced by Annabel Turpin at ARC
A twelve-year-old girl sneaks across the border into her own country. Her parents watch on a computer screen. The works of a half-forgotten performance artist seem to hold the key to bringing down the brutal system operating on our behalf and under our noses. Do you join in? Or do you look the other way?
Instructions for Border Crossing is the exposed gearbox of a political thriller. Blending experimental storytelling with a series of live interventions from the audience, the show itself is as unstable as the world it describes. Don't worry. You don't have to do anything you don't want to.
Commissioned by Harrogate Theatre, HOME, Norwich Arts Centre, Oxford Playhouse, Unity Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse.
The premiered on the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2017, with tour dates through the rest of 2017 and 2018. See my home page for upcoming tour dates.
Press reaction:
"Quietly demanding and unforgettable [...] disturbing and thought-provoking [...] beautifully written." - The Scotsman
“This is a layered and intriguing piece and Bye’s an engaging performer and storyteller” The Stage
“Daniel Bye is an entertaining storyteller… (The show’s) politics are generous, tolerant and hopeful” British Theatre Guide
“a pleasingly equivocating look at activism and resistance [...] a powerful final conclusion” What’s On Stage
“His goofily smart performance charms audiences into taking part, making the action come to life. The seeds of revolution are spread in the telling.” Exeunt
“Compelling” The Times
written and performed by Daniel Bye
directed by Alex Swift
design by Hannah Sibai
lighting design by Katharine Williams
sound design by Mariam Rezaei
dramaturgy by Sarah Punshon
produced by Annabel Turpin at ARC
A twelve-year-old girl sneaks across the border into her own country. Her parents watch on a computer screen. The works of a half-forgotten performance artist seem to hold the key to bringing down the brutal system operating on our behalf and under our noses. Do you join in? Or do you look the other way?
Instructions for Border Crossing is the exposed gearbox of a political thriller. Blending experimental storytelling with a series of live interventions from the audience, the show itself is as unstable as the world it describes. Don't worry. You don't have to do anything you don't want to.
Commissioned by Harrogate Theatre, HOME, Norwich Arts Centre, Oxford Playhouse, Unity Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse.
The premiered on the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2017, with tour dates through the rest of 2017 and 2018. See my home page for upcoming tour dates.
Press reaction:
"Quietly demanding and unforgettable [...] disturbing and thought-provoking [...] beautifully written." - The Scotsman
“This is a layered and intriguing piece and Bye’s an engaging performer and storyteller” The Stage
“Daniel Bye is an entertaining storyteller… (The show’s) politics are generous, tolerant and hopeful” British Theatre Guide
“a pleasingly equivocating look at activism and resistance [...] a powerful final conclusion” What’s On Stage
“His goofily smart performance charms audiences into taking part, making the action come to life. The seeds of revolution are spread in the telling.” Exeunt
“Compelling” The Times