Us/Them

1 September 2004. It is the first day of school in Beslan, a quiet town in North Ossetia, part of the Russian federation. Chechen rebels force their way into a school and hold more than a thousand pupils, teachers and parents hostage inside the gymnasium. Three days later the siege comes to a horrendous conclusion: 334 people are killed by bullets and explosives. More than half of the victims are children.

In the children’s play ‘Us/Them’ Carly Wijs lets two surviving school children speak. A girl and a boy try to describe the three days of the siege in as much detail as possible to get to grips with the terrible events. Painstakingly, the children chalk a plan of the school on the floor. But before long, their imagination takes over. As they carefully move among the wires strung up by the hostage-takers, these now turn into an obstacle course from their gym class. Balloons become bombs and the terrorist invasion transforms into a heroic scene from an action film. Both level-headed and precise, as well as stubborn and playful, the two exorcise their fears by escaping into the imaginary. This is a play that will make a lasting impression on children and adults alike.

Photo © Bronks