Susan Moffat and Aida Haughton explain how their play My Thousand Year Old Land was given a universal humanity by using raw, real-life testimony
hree women – Pravda , Istina , and Nada – sit around a table, grinding coffee and telling stories. Around them on stage are men’s boots, belts and a hat. The men are no longer here but killed in war.
For Moffat and Haughton, focusing on how everyday people are affected is key. “I wanted the ordinary stuff – the towels, the cloths that you put on tables,” says Moffat. It’s these items that remind us of our shared humanity – we all know what it’s like to have to do the washing, or the simple joy in sharing a coffee with our loved ones. As we talk, Haughton shows me a traditional coffee grinder from Bosnia, thin and made of copper. It’s one of many authentic objects featured in the production.
They were careful to get to know people rather than rushing in with sensitive questions. Developing relationships was key, asking about daily life during the war. This also helps to build the play’s grounding in everyday experiences, the common threads we can all relate to. Using real people’s speech is an integral part of the play. “It’s how they’re undeniable,” says Moffat. “There is something resounding about the truth when it’s heard and seen. You cannot not hear it, and you cannot not see it. For me, the beauty and power of documentary theatre is that even when it’s in another language, there is something about us as human beings, that we’re wired to be able to receive the truth.