Safe Haven: Former British Diplomat Chris Bowers’ galvanising historical drama makes world premiere at Arcola Theatre. Set in the aftermath of the First Gulf War in 1991, recounting the actions of the courageous individuals behind Operation Safe Haven — an unprecedented humanitarian intervention which saved countless Kurdish lives and prevented a genocide. We sat down with Mazlum Gul to discuss their upcoming performance.
What does it mean to you that your professional stage debut centres on portraying Kurdish history and trauma in such a pivotal moment of global inaction?
It means everything. Although it is my first professional role, it’s way more than just a job – to me this is a responsibility to honour a deep, rich and painful history that shaped my family, my people, and my identity.
Kurdish stories are rarely centred on British stages, and to debut with one rooted in survival, displacement, and resilience feels deeply personal. It allows me to bring truth, dignity, and humanity to a chapter the world often overlooks.
I’m stepping into my career carrying my community with me.
How did stepping into both Dlawer and Al-Tikriti deepen your understanding of the political tensions and human stakes at the heart of Safe Haven?
I think playing both sides of a conflict forces you to really live inside the contradictions of power and oppression.
Dlawer shows the fear, hope, and moral urgency of a people fighting for survival, while Al-Tikriti embodies the authoritarian mindset that enables violence.
Experiencing both taught me how systems and individuals clash, how ideology dehumanises, and how courage resists it.
It made the stakes painfully clear, these are real lives and real consequences.
As a recent LAMDA graduate, how has navigating these demanding, contrasting roles challenged or expanded your approach to character work?
LAMDA gave me invaluable training to approach characters with rigour and empathy, and of course a strong and reliable foundation of acting techniques. This production definitely stretched me further and even made me discover deeper parts of myself that I never really had the opportunity to access before.
Switching between two opposing worlds required sharper physical, vocal, and emotional precision. It pushed me to adapt quickly and trust bolder choices. I’m grateful for our Director Mark Giesser and Writer Chris Bowers for creating a safe space where we are given the freedom to make offers without having to think if it’s right or wrong and being big and bold with honesty.
I’ve learnt to hold complex truths at the same time. Also, to honour lived experience while building a fictional psychology. It’s the most demanding and rewarding work I’ve done up to now.
What responsibilities do you feel when giving voice to a Kurdish political activist whose struggle represents the real experiences of so many?
I feel a responsibility to be truthful, respectful, and grounded. Dlawer isn’t just a character — he represents thousands of Kurdish voices silenced or unheard. I have a responsibility carry their stories with care and honesty.
My job isn’t to dramatize their pain, but to humanise it- to make audiences see individuals, families, dreams, and losses. It’s a duty to honour their resilience and ensure their stories aren’t forgotten or simplified.
How has working on a play grounded in lived history shaped your perspective on the power of theatre to illuminate humanitarian crises?
It reminded me that theatre can do what headlines can’t: give crises faces, voices, and emotional truth. When history is embodied onstage, it becomes impossible to ignore. Safe Haven shows how storytelling can question power, create empathy, and challenge indifference. It proves theatre isn’t just entertainment, it can be an act of witness and remembrance.
What do you hope audiences carry away from this production?
I hope they leave with a deeper understanding of Kurdish history and the human cost of political inaction. I want them to feel the courage behind Operation Safe Haven, to question how nations respond to people in danger, and to recognise the humanity behind every refugee story. Most of all, I hope they walk away changed with more empathy and awareness.
Safe Haven runs until 7th February, tickets are available here.