I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda

Directed by Madi Delk; Des Moines Onstage
December 2013
Written by Sonja Linden

Director: Madi Delk
Stage Manager: Katie Coon
Lighting Designer: Claire Guderjahn
Scenic Designer: Katie Coon
Costume Designer: Paige Marshall
Properties: Lauren Malcomson
Sound Designer: Mark Toebben
Producer: Bob Filippone

Inspired by the real life experiences of Rwandan refugees in the UK, the play tells the story of two people, from entirely different worlds, who meet at a Refugee Centre in London. Juliette is a young Rwandan asylum seeker, determined to write a book on the genocide that killed her family; Simon is a middle-aged failing novelist, whose job is to help refugees write. The play, despite infusions of wit, is a serious piece covering problems that are continuous in today's society. It is centered on the healing power of writing as we watch the development of a relationship across a wide cultural and age divide.

Photos by Brain Delk