I watched Safergrounds by Busli Collective in a half-empty theatre, at Theatre Next Door in Magħtab. It was promoted through a frame of activism and a future federalist European dystopia where LGBTQI people can voluntarily submit themselves to residency in Safergrounds, an LGBTQIA+ only city. So I was surprised when it turned out to be a camp comedy.
In the intermission, I briefly chatted with a friend who mentioned that had it been promoted through it’s intentional chaotic camp energy it might have attracted a bigger audience. The location, the new TND is difficult or indeed impossible to reach by bus, especially at night, so topping up a 20€ ticket with the price of taxi or ride-share would make it even more prohibitive to the young queers who would have particularly enjoyed this show. Maybe a matinee option would have led to a fuller theatre.
If Busli Collective’s intention was to surprise us, then it worked. I walked in prepared for a drama that would challenge the notions of safer spaces when blown up to a larger scale… And faced a comedy instead. One which broke the fourth wall fairly often. So I needed half of the first act to get into it.
It might not be a surprise then that I enjoyed the deeper, serious one-to-one moments in the second act much more. This is where I felt the characters story arcs really came across, and the strength of the LGBTQIA+ narratives came through.
What I particularly loved though was the story building. A federalist EU where North Macedonia is not just a part, but is now called Macedonia? That goes hard. The new European flag gives militaristic vibes, from 12 stars to 4, and two doves in collision. That’s all that is needed to say there is conflict in the larger European region.
The symbol of safergrounds itself is the pink triangle. Not in its act-up orientation facing upwards, as a reclamation, but in its original, facing downwards, a symbol of the systematic mass murder and detainainment of gay men by Nazi Germany. The new European flag overlayed as a triangle gives the whole shape a V… for Victory? Certainly not the queer communities’ victory.
Then through the storytelling, the main question. What makes a space safe? And in response, what if we had a braver one instead, is explored. This is what interested me most through the marketing, as it reflects the questions that come up in facilitating workshops and conversations of social justice groups.
This is where in facilitating these groups I’ve referenced this poem:
Invitation to Brave Space, poem by Micky ScottBey Jones
Together we will create brave space
Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.
——————
Overall I enjoyed it, there was a chaotic camp energy that reminded me of some of the recent local drag that is starting to come through. One that is not bothered by perfect, and explores various types of storytelling. While bravergrounds would have been the true utopia, it can feel unattainable to even imagine. Some dialogues in the second act showed that we can reach that through honest and open communication. Maybe that’s the whole point after all.
I can’t wait to see more from Busli Collective.
MJ Tolu 
Leave a comment