Being Human (the Debate At Valladolid) [Drama On 3]

Steve Toussaint and Maynard Eziashi star in two new intersecting plays by Mike Walker & Andrew Whaley which ask by what right we exploit each other

Spain, 1550. Two Jesuit Priests are brought before the King of Spain to debate the future of the inhabitants of the New World. Are they human and to be respected, or subhuman and ripe for slavery? Cape Town, 2015. Alicia, a Cape Coloured lawyer, wrestles with the dilemmas of a slave past and a free future. Where once the Old world looked out, now a new order is looking back. And as always, there is a price to pay.

In this unique collaboration for Drama on 3, two playwrights in two different parts of the world have taken two historical events, 400 years apart, as a catalyst to look at issues of human rights. In sixteenth century Spain, the two priests were once friends, but are now rivals in this debate and their personal history cannot be ignored. In South Africa, the wreck of a Portuguese slave ship found this year off the coast of Cape Town - the only slave ship ever to be recovered anywhere in the world - causes Alicia, a Cape Coloured lawyer, to re-examine her own sense of identity and of being human. The uniqueness of the project is further complemented by actors playing a lead role in each. Steve Toussaint is probably best known for his roles in 'Point Break', 'Asylum' and 'Prince of Persia' and as a regular in 'Lewis'. Maynard Eziashi starred in the film 'Mister Johnson', for which he won a Silver Bear.

New plays by Mike Walker and Andrew Whaley exploring themes of human rights and identity.