We sat down for a chat with Amantha Edmead, the writer as well as a performer in SOLD, an award winning show featuring African drumming, music and song.
- How does it feel to bring SOLD back to Oxford, where its journey first began?
It is a privilege really, to be marking The International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade with SOLD, back in Oxford. This day focuses on and highlights the experiences of the many Mary Princes, the millions of others often unnamed and ignored – there’s a weight to it, and bringing it home makes it more personal in a way. Over the years we have had great support for the show from fellow theatre practitioners and venues as well as audiences and community. It began as a solo show in 2018 ‘Mary Prince, Her words Her story and Me’ it was a year and a half in the making and a labour of love, but the development and trajectory since that show developed into SOLD in 2019 has been about the support of the many. We took the risk to take it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the help of both The North Wall and Oxford Playhouse and prayers. Our many successes wouldn’t have been possible without our partners and creative team. We’ve had five amazing years of touring in the UK and overseas, fantastic audience response and awards each year!
- What has been the most unexpected or profound reaction to SOLD from audiences around the world?
We’ve been blessed to have so many moving responses from our audiences. For me three moments stand out.
Taking SOLD to Bermuda, where Mary Prince was born into enslavement and lived the early part of her life. SOLD opened the annual Bermuda festival in 2022 – It was the first live show since the COVID lockdown. Even though Mary Prince is recognised as a national hero and they have a national holiday in her name, discussing and looking at the realities of enslavement in Bermuda is still problematic for many – SOLD enabled some difficult open conversations from audiences. I was touched when a Bermudian lecturer/ Author/ Poet said that Mary Prince is where Caribbean literature began so when she heard us say ‘I was born in Brackish Pond Bermuda…’…. she felt that we had brought the spirit of Mary Prince home through her words and the truth of our performance.
In Chicago, we had the honour of meeting with some of the founder members of Kuumba Theatre – that has been making groundbreaking African-centred theatre since 1969, tears were flowing from us (me definitely) when they saluted our work – the heart and truth of it and celebrated our theatrical form!
The third moment was from a performance in Malvern when a teenager had been brought to the show by his parents. They’d explained to him about enslavement, but after seeing SOLD he said he got it now, he understood what his parents had been going on about – before it was just words.
- SOLD is praised for its powerful storytelling—how did you balance historical accuracy with theatrical artistry?
My aim when telling the story/developing the script of SOLD was letting the truth of Mary’s words live & sing. I wanted audiences to feel Mary’s words, to experience the emotions they elicit. Mary’s own words are the inspiration – they are dramatic, profound, humbling and life affirming, so the body of the text are her words – I only added my own when trying to elaborate moments that I wanted to flesh out more for the audience to experience. The artistry was only used to heighten the experience of the piece, so movement, song, dance, were there to aid in the connection of the experience. Of course in an hour we don’t share everything of Mary’s life, Euton, our director and dramaturg, would tell you that as theatre makers there’s always a fine line to be made between taking theatrical licence and a verbatim/historical accuracy. He was great at putting a red pen line through many elements of the script – asking if what I was saying moved the story along – and reminding me that if people want every detail they can read the book! And luckily more people have now read her book after seeing the production, and gone on to find out more about the Transatlantic Slave Trade from other books and online. That’s the power of theatre! – I focused on her humanity and resilience.
- The production uses song, dance, and drumming—how do these elements deepen the audience’s connection to Mary Prince’s story?
I didn’t want people to intellectualise Mary’s truth, I wanted them to feel and connect to her words and her experience – and each of these elements helps this happen. The Drum is a character in its own right and it can be many things, the heartbeat, the breath, even the soul, the voice of the ancestors, the call of those yet to come, audiences can feel the drum vibrating inside of them. The use of music and song is not of the period but helps to add to the emotional journey of the character. Song can carry emotions and connect to our individual emotions on deep levels. Sounds can often say so much more than words…. dance and movement can spell things out creating a feast before our eyes; they all aid in the connection to Mary’s experiences.
- If Mary Prince could step into the modern world and watch SOLD, what do you think she would say?
I hope she would be pleased that she hasn’t been forgotten, that her story is just as important today as it was when she first told it. Regrettably she would be sad that it still needs to be told, but proud that her words have such a profound impact on people today nearly 200 years after her death.
- What’s been the most memorable or amusing moment backstage while touring with SOLD?
Oooohhhh – what happens on tour stays on tour! Sadly there are no backstage moments, only onstage ones! We are both on stage from the opening of the show till the end of the Q&A – so apart from the odd trip, costume malfunction and getting caught up in the ropes or running back from a loo visit to make the start of the show, we are all good. We’ve had questions that have moved and surprised us and been touched by some gifts from audience members, and the great hugs.
SOLD is returning to Oxford following its run at The North Wall in 2019, and subsequent Edinburgh Fringe run and international tour. It will be performed on Tuesday 25th March in recognition of the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.