Be-Longing takes an interdisciplinary look at the queer diaspora, to March 13 online via The Cultch
Frank theatre’s multicultural, multilingual collaboration explores love and exile
KhattieQ and Baraka Rahmani. Photo by Kaayla Whatchell/Chimerik 似不像
The Cultch streams frank theatre company’s Be-Longing until March 13 as part of its RE/PLAY digital series
WHEN IT DEBUTED A YEAR ago last December, the frank theatre company’s Be-Longing was notable not just because it experimented with fusing theatre, music, film, and media arts. It also explored what it’s like to be a part of the queer diaspora—a complex experience that’s came into relief during pandemic travel bans and lockdowns.
Just as it crosses art forms, the piece, created collaboratively by Canadian artists from Taiwan, Iran, and India. crosses cultures and queer identities in a nonlinear, multivocal expression of love and exile.
“Often you need home because that's one side of your identity,” frank artistic drector Nass, who immigrated here from Iran, told Stir when the show debuted in 2020. “But then there can be fear and shame around being queer in that culture; so on the other side, you go to a country for liberation and freedom. How do we navigate this binary identity? That’s part of the fabric of the show.”
Fittingly, the story is told in a mix of languages—Arabic, Cantonese, English, and Spanish—with captions in English.
Alexandra Lainfiesta, khattieQ, Jackson Wai Chung Tse, and Baraka Rahmani star in the filmed production. Sammy Chien creates new media designs and Taymaz Saba provides music direction and original compositions. Check out the trailer below for an idea.
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