Enclosed in a freight container somewhere in Europe, five people huddle together with a common aim. Reach England. Start a new life. Can they rely on each other? And how far will each of them go to get what they want?

The Container, by Clare Bayley, tells the story of immigrants trying to smuggle themselves into the UK inside a sealed container to start a new life. The play took place inside a shipping container that was parked outside the Young Vic theatre in London in July 2009.

The Container was the hit of the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe, winning a Scotsman Fringe First and Amnesty`s Freedom of Expression award. Each performance has space for an audience of just 28, with a cast of 6 performing inside the closed space solely lit by torches.

"Most of us are isolated from the immigrant experience," Bayley says. "We might read about these people in newspapers but we seldom hear their stories from their own mouths. Everything in The Container is based on actual events that really happened to someone."

Digital Theatre filmed the production on the 22nd July 2009, taking the cameras inside the performance space of the closed shipping container, alongside the actors and audience, in order to capture the claustrophobia of this extraordinary production.

"The combination of new technologies that promise filmed versions of productions that retain vitality and immediacy and producers who understand the needs of artists is a winning one. To create a filmed version of a show as eccentric and challenging as The Container, set in a shipping container, was a challenge. We thought if Digital Theatre can make this work, they can do anything. And they have."
David Lan, Artistic Director, Young Vic.

The Digital Theatre production of The Container is now available to download and keep for just £8.99

Comment on this article

You must be logged in to post comments on this article.

Log-in to my account