Rasha Obaid, from activist to BackStage Door
Art is out of the question in Yemen, but here Rasha can do what she loves. Meet our first ever BackStage Door placementee who has spent 6 months working behind the scenes at the Apollo Theatre in London’s West End.
I’m from Yemen but I came to the UK at the end of 2014. Ever since I’ve studied for a masters in post-war recovery and reconstruction and worked at Amnesty International, all while trying to get my status.
Without my papers I was doing all I could, but it’s hard to survive in London. Without the ability to work or travel freely, I was left with barely any options.
Arts was something I always wanted to do, but where I come from it’s very limited and prohibited. If a man acts as a woman in a play he can be killed. It happens.
It's out of the question to do in Yemen… but I always did art on the side. So when I was back in the UK I started weekend classes then onto full time study. I applied for SO many arts jobs, to try different materials, to learn what art is like here, but with no luck… until I saw the BackStage Door opportunity at Good Chance.
I love what Good Chance does working with refugees, as one myself. They engage them directly, we are there in the work, not just talking about our experiences. I don’t know much about theatre except for the few plays I’ve seen… but from the moment I stepped into the Apollo I was amazed. I was hoping for connections, references and to start what I love doing, but I got so much more.
I learnt how the set is built, where it comes from. How people sit together, make it work with the light, the sound, do the cues with the actors, everybody’s expertise put it all together to get the vision within the space they have. I had no idea all of these jobs existed, and I have since been introduced to a person with a position for me to work as a set builder.
I think it’s so difficult to be an artist in general, you have to stand out, and even more so for a refugee because you need connections to access exhibitions or jobs, or support of any sort. But once I was working on BackStage Door, the community I found was one of the best I have ever worked in. Very inclusive, with people from different backgrounds, different orientations.
I felt welcomed straight away, which is not always easy for a refugee no matter how long you live there.
The placement opened my eyes to the quality of things people create and what the industry is like here. From lighting to sound to set building, I was introduced to so much. BackStage Door helped me to see my pathway in this industry. And this is just the start.
BackStage Door is our paid work opportunity for people from refugee backgrounds to gain experience working backstage in London’s West End and secure the qualifications they need to go on to work in theatres across the country. Created with Nimax Theatre’s Rasha was our first EVER intern and we are so pleased that she’s now part of the Good Chance family. Find out more about BackStage Door and look out for future opportunities here.
