Siddiqua Akhtar performed in one of Border Crossings' earliest pieces, BRAVELY FOUGHT THE QUEEN by Mahesh Dattani, which was staged in 1996. The play opened at the Leicester Haymarket, then toured to Battersea Arts Centre and Watermans in Brentford. As part of the CHECKPOINT project, marking 30 Years of Border Crossings, Siddiqua and Harvey Virdi performed a short new play by Mahesh, BRAVELY FIGHTS THE QUEEN, which revisited their characters from the original piece 30 years later. This interview reflects on the experience of performing an Indian play, as opposed to a British Asian one, in the context of 1990s Britain, on the distinguishing qualities of Mahesh Dattani's writing, and the other actors involved. Siddiqua particularly discusses the importance of comedy and its ability to generate change.
Nancy Crane, is an actor and deviser, originally from California, who worked with Border Crossings on THE ORIENTATIONS TRILOGY. She played the role of P.K. Moretti in DIS-ORIENTATIONS at Riverside Studios in 2006, and went on to work on the devising process for RE-ORIENTATIONS in London and Shanghai, although she did not perform in the finished version. The interview deals with the details of these processes, and particularly the intercultural elements of the collaboration, not only across languages and cultures, but also theatrical forms. Nancy discusses her fascination with Shanghai, and how the rich experience of working there affected her as an artist. She also talks about the importance of devised intercultural performance, and contrasts it with other ways of making theatre.
Björn Dahlman is a performer, deviser, clown, comedian and director from Sweden. As a member of Teater Eksem, a small company which partnered with Border Crossings on THE ORIENTATIONS TRILOGY, Björn performed in RE-ORIENTATIONS in Shanghai and London, and on tour in Sweden.The interview deals with how this project changed his life completely. Shanghai, where the play is set, became his home. As he discusses in the interview, in 2010 it seemed like the centre of the world, and the way in which characters from across the world gather there reflects that reality. Björn discusses how that has changed in the time since the project, and how the different atmosphere of the 2020s, not only in China but across the world, would make such a hopeful project impossible today. The interview also includes some fascinating observations about Chinese acting styles and a very different cultural approach to stand-up comedy!
Nisha Dassyne is an actor, deviser, translator and costume/prop maker from Mauritius. Nisha first encountered Border Crossings when Michael Walling directed her in Mauritius in 1997: they were married in the following year, and she came to live in the UK. She worked with Michael to translate Dev Virahsawmy's TOUFANN from Mauritian Creole into English in 1999, and was part of the core devising and performance team for MAPPA MUNDI in 1999-2001. She was also a key figure in Border Crossings' devised production THE GREAT EXPERIMENT, which was developed in 2017 and performed in early 2020. In 2025, Nisha performed THE DEATH OF PROSPERO: a monologue based on TOUFANN, which was part of the CHECKPOINT project.
Andrew French is an actor who has worked with Border Crossings on a number of occasions since 2014. The interview primarily deals with the first project Andrew did with the company: THIS FLESH IS MINE by Brian Woolland. This was a co-production with the Palestinian company ASHTAR Theatre. The interview explores the process of rehearsing the play in Ramallah, the performances there and in London, and the challenges which the project faced when visas were denied and the conflict affected the cast.
David Furlong. Originally from Mauritius, and trained in France, David is an actor, deviser, director, and the Artistic Director of Exchange Theatre. In the interview, he discusses his long relationship with Border Crossings, an organisation where, he suggests, he feels particularly at home. He recounts processes of mentoring and hosting, leading to his working directly with the company on THE GREAT EXPERIMENT: a project that explored his Mauritian background.
Tony Guilfoyle is a deviser and performer of Irish ancestry who grew up in rural Somerset, trained at Drama Centre and has worked with Border Crossings on many occasions. The interview discusses his background, and the challenges of making a career (as well as making art) in British theatre. He discusses his regular work with Robert Lepage, and how that dovetailed with the intercultural devising he undertook with Border Crossings. He particularly explores working with Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre on THE ORIENTATIONS TRILOGY and CONSUMED, noting how the cultures of acting, both as a discipline and a career, differ hugely between China and the Anglo-Saxon world. He also talks about how THE GREAT EXPERIMENT came to seem a very personal project for him, in the light of his Irish background.
Lifati Harimedi is a dancer, actor, musician and cultural producer. Originally from Zimbabwe, Lifati now lives in South Africa. He discussed his work with the National Ballet of Zimbabwe, Savannah Arts in Mbare and the British Council, prior to his meeting with Border Crossings. He discusses the intercultural devising process of MAPPA MUNDI, to which he was central, as well as the experience of performing the piece across the UK and in Mexico, together with its ongoing impact on his understanding of theatre and his way of working.
Shonel Jackson. Originally from Guyana, Shonel worked with Border Crossings on the 2007 co-production with the National Theatre of Ghana: THE DILEMMA OF A GHOST. It was her first job after drama school. In this interview she recalls the experience, including working with the Ghanaian actors, and younger British actors with African heritage. She discusses the challenges of her role, audience reactions, and the way in which the production supported her performance through music and staging. Shonel recounts how the project led to long lasting friendships, particularly with Seun Shote, whose untimely passing came as a great shock to her.
Dominique Jambert, a longstanding member of the great French ensemble, the Théâtre du Soleil. This interview is conducted in French, with English subtitles. Together with Vincent Mangado, Dominique first encountered Border Crossings at a conference in Cambridge in 2014. The emerging friendship they forged with Michael Walling has led to a creative partnership over several years. In 2021-22, they established a partnership to explore different approaches to devising intercultural performance: CRE-ACTORS. Since 2025, they have been collaborating on the ongoing project THE LEGEND OF EUROPA, with the support of the European Union's Creative Europe programme via Border Crossings (Ireland).
Lee Byron Jones, who as a young actor played the role of McLean, the "government man" in BULLIE'S HOUSE (2004). The interview explores Lee's training at Rose Bruford College, which led to his being cast in the play, and the experience of working with Border Crossings and the visiting Indigenous Australian actors. Lee also gives a frank account of the challenging nature of the acting profession in the UK, and his decision to change his career and become a teacher.
Peter Kenny is an actor and singer, who first became involved with Border Crossings for the 1998 tour of Zimbabwe with TWELFTH NIGHT. He subsequently worked on the devising processes for MAPPA MUNDI, and ORIENTATIONS, also performing the original production and subsequent tour of the latter. In this interview, he discusses the ideas behind these pieces, and the processes by which they were made. He considers the use of cultural diversity in these early pieces by the company, particularly the deliberate overturning of traditional racial hierarchies in TWELFTH NIGHT, and the beauty that arose from blending different performance forms in ORIENTATIONS.
Mia Kjellkvist is a performer, deviser and producer from Sweden. As a young theatre-maker, Mia was part of Teater Eksem, a small company which partnered with Border Crossings on THE ORIENTATIONS TRILOGY. Mia was part of the devising company which worked on RE-ORIENTATIONS in Shanghai and London, and also performed the play in both cities. She went on to work as a producer on the Swedish tour. The interview deals with the significance of the project to her, both personally and professionally, the complexities of intercultural working, and the challenges of managing such a large-scale project for smaller organisations.
Vincent Mangado is a longstanding member of the great French ensemble, the Théâtre du Soleil. This interview is conducted in French, with English subtitles. Together with Dominique Jambert, Vincent first encountered Border Crossings at a conference in Cambridge in 2014. The emerging friendship they forged with Michael Walling has led to a creative partnership over several years. In 2021-22, they established a partnership to explore different approaches to devising intercultural performance: CRE-ACTORS. Since 2025, they have been collaborating on the ongoing project THE LEGEND OF EUROPA, with the support of the European Union's Creative Europe programme via Border Crossings (Ireland).
Sandra O'Malley is an Irish actor who has worked with Border Crossings on European projects since the foundation of the Irish company in 2019. The interview deals with two key projects. The first of these is CRE-ACTORS, which was a practice-exchange project conducted during the Covid-19 crisis, in which different European theatre companies learnt about each other's approach to intercultural devising. Partners include the Théâtre du Soleil, Teatro dell'Argine, The Fence and Border Crossings. The same partnership, augmented by Riksteatern, led the second project which Sandra discusses in this interview, THE LEGEND OF EUROPA. At the time of recording, this was an ongoing process of devising a new play between the partnership. Sandra is a permanent member of Blue Raincoat Theatre in Sligo, and the interview also touches on her work there, and the company's relationship to Border Crossings.
Qi Baixue is an actor at Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. During 2009-10, Qi was involved in Border Crossings' major international collaboration, RE-ORIENTATIONS. The interview discusses the long devising process in Shanghai and London, as well as performances on tour in Shanghai, London and Sweden. Qi discusses how the approach differed from usual practice in China, the ways in which he created material out of the real situation, the challenges he faced, the complexities of playing a gay character in China, and the reception of the performance by different audiences.
Vivienne Rochester is an actor, director, teacher and psychotherapist, who has worked with Border Crossings on TWELFTH NIGHT (1997) and SONGSTREETS (2023). However, this interview begins earlier, with productions she did with Michael Walling in 1991 and 1992, before he established the company. The discussion also includes wider questions around multicultural companies and "colour-blind" casting.
Song Ru Hui is an actor with Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. Hui worked with Border Crossings on the 2009-10 project RE-ORIENTATIONS, and then on CONSUMED in 2012-13. Both of these were devised pieces, co-produced by Border Crossings and SDAC, and directed by Michael Walling, with whom she formed a strong creative relationship. The interview explores her introduction to devising as a process, the emphasis on the body, and the creativity of the actor. RE-ORIENTATIONS was a large-scale project, performing in the UK, China and Sweden. CONSUMED was a more intimate piece for three actors, which performed in the UK only. Hui recounts her memories of these contrasting works, emphasising how much she learnt from the process of exchange.
Srdjan (Serge) Soric is an actor of Croat heritage, who lived in London from the early 1990s to 2018. During that time he performed in two Border Crossings projects: DOUBLE TONGUE (2001-2) and CONSUMED (2013). In this interview, he discusses the two pieces, both of which dealt with the question of language. In DOUBLE TONGUE, Serge played a character who at first appeared to be a cliched "Slav", but who in fact spoke perfect English, and in CONSUMED he played an Englishman struggling to communicate with Chinese people. The interview explores the complex questions which these projects raised around the use of multiple languages and accents in performance. Serge also discusses his work since moving to Croatia, and the rise of nationalist politics across Europe.
Harvey Virdi is a British performer with South Asian ancestry. Harvey played Alka in the UK premier of Mahesh Dattani's play BRAVELY FOUGHT THE QUEEN, presented by Border Crossings in 1996. She revisited the role for the CHECKPOINT anniversary performance in 2025, in Mahesh's short play BRAVELY FIGHTS THE QUEEN. Harvey also played the role of Maria in TWELFTH NIGHT for Border Crossings' tour to Zimbabwe in 1998. The interview deals with these three projects, and Harvey's wider work in theatre and TV.
