Seasons of Immigration play based on real-life experiences

Laughter, tears and triumphs - all in one suitcase.
Seasons of Immigration will be performed at the Centre In The Square on March 18 at 8pm. The ground breaking Can­a­dian play is based on the real life experiences of immi­grants new to Canada and the Wat­erloo Region.
“The process of moving to a new country and a new culture is a daunting venture that is ex­plored in this work,” said director Majdi Bou-Matar.
Seasons of Immigration was created by theatre group MT Space, who invited the commu­nity to submit their personal immigration stories in any lan­guage, format, or genre. The col­lection of stories inspired the creation of the play during a seven-week workshop.
The story begins with a decision to leave the homeland and move to the western world; the land of freedom and oppor­tunity.
Each character discovers immigration to Canada involv­es an immediate confrontation with not only the cold and vastness of the land, but the pursuit to prove one’s self in this fast-paced lifestyle.
The six performers create the physical as well as emo­tion­al turmoil as characters go through the complexities of leaving their country and the steps of settling down in Canada.
Set on a bare stage using simple props and costumes, the story is told through physical movement, light-hearted text with live painting and sound­scape.
The characters explore issues of adaptation, language barriers, racism, loss of paren­tal control, and the need to main­tain cultural integrity while struggling with a redefi­nition of self in a foreign land.
Tickets are $35 and are available at the Centre In The Square box office at 519-578-1570, 1-800-265-8977, or at www.centre-square.com.