Contact and BHA for Equality present a new play by Cheryl Martin touring Greater Manchester this October.
“Let us give publicity to HIV and not hide it.” Nelson Mandela
In a suburb in Stockport, a husband and wife hide their medication from one another. A young woman in Lagos, Nigeria refuses to speak to her sister on the phone. A hospital nurse wears extra pairs of gloves around a patient, no explanation given. If HIV is no longer a death sentence, why are we so scared of it?
I Am Because We Are is a play based on the testimonies of people living with HIV in Manchester today. Written by playwright and poet Cheryl Martin (Manchester Evening News award winner, Polari Prize nominee) and directed by Alix Harris (Artistic Director, Beyond Face) it tells the human stories of daily life with the disease.
Written by Cheryl Martin
Directed by Alix Harris
Cast
Antonia Kemi Coker
Etta Fusi
Fejiro Emasiobi
Rick Bithell
Tour dates
I Am Because We Are will tour from 8 – 21 October across seven Greater Manchester boroughs, with venues including churches, community centres and drop-in centres for refugees and asylum seekers.
Thursday 11 October, 7pm
CGL Change Grow Live, Phoenix Mill, 20 Piercy St, Manchester, M4 7HY. Tickets free, available here.
Tuesday 16 October, 1pm
Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival. Tickets free, available here.
Saturday 20 October, 7pm
Limelight, 1 St Brides Way, Old Trafford, M16 9NW. Tickets free, available here.
If you would be interested in hosting a performance in your venue for groups you work with, find more information about the show here.
Credits
A Contact and BHA for Equality production
Written by Cheryl Martin. Directed by Alix Harris
Presented by BHA for Equality and Contact
Funded by Public Health England
