Theatre Factory’s next production is called Sapeurs - a piece of musical theatre about Barrow. Themes include home, belonging and attitudes to immigration, both negative and positive. Sapeurs tells everyone’s stories: the people born and bred here and people coming from far away.

For the past 18 months award-winning writer Kevin Fegan (author of 25 Words) has been talking and listening to refugees, asylum seekers, those who work with them and members of the community. The result is a joyful, life-affirming show for our town in a challenging and divided world. We spoke to Kevin about his approach to telling this powerful story. 

Tell us about Sapeurs - how did this piece come about?

Kevin: As part of Theatre Factory’s IF! Inclusion Festival we wanted to address the important issues around asylum-seekers being placed in communities like Barrow. I wanted to write a piece that brought those issues to life in a sensitive but entertaining way and came up with the idea of using an African cultural phenomenon known as the 'sapeurs'.

I spent some time researching another play in the slums of Nairobi in Kenya. It was there I witnessed the 'sapeurs'. These are ordinary people who live in abject poverty but create “occasions” by dressing up in immaculate designer gear and parading through the slums, expressing their personalities through their chosen styles. They source the fashion through cast-off European clothing and accessories. It is seen as a celebration of the person inside the perceived image of the slum-dweller. 

When we think of asylum-seekers we picture people dressed in ugly, second-hand clothes, heads down, trying not to draw attention to themselves. But we know that inside every human being is a person that, given the right circumstances, could shine. I decided to represent the asylum-seekers in the play as 'sapeurs'. I always try to present audiences with something they weren’t expecting. 

How much of a challenge was it to create this work?

Kevin: The challenge is to win the trust of people who are willing to share their stories with you and to find a way of representing the essence of those stories in a dramatic and entertaining way.

Some of the characters in this work have quite differing views - tell us about that.

Kevin: It is important to listen to the whole community and respect people’s views, feelings and experiences. It isn’t just about capturing the often harrowing, experiences of asylum-seekers, but also the views and feelings of ordinary local people from across the Barrow community. There are those who are welcoming and supportive and others who have legitimate concerns about illegal immigrants trying to settle in, not only the Barrow area, but in communities across the UK. 

Why do you think it's important that live drama looks at issues around identity and belonging?

Kevin: Identity evolves. Ideas around what it is to be 'British' change with each generation. No-one in a society should be regarded as a second-class citizen. This is where oppression starts. It is important for everyone to feel that they belong. The Arts generally offer ways in which we can constantly examine these changes and how to respond to them as a society. 

Barrow Town Hall, Banqueting Suite
5 and 6 March 2026 at 7.30pm

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Tickets are FREE or by donation here

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