I Am David – Junior Play

‘I am David and I belong to myself’

All David has ever known is the high fences of a concentration camp – until one night he escapes. Terrified that they will catch him, he begins to run.  And as he runs, he learns about freedom and hope, betrayal and loneliness.

I am David, Wellington College’s 3rd and 4th Form play, was powerfully and sensitively performed in the Christopher Lee Theatre on the 28th and 29th of January. Telling the story of a young boy’s journey from Bulgaria to Denmark, as he encounters and evades successive threats to persecute him, the play fragments David into three characters who simultaneously voice and enact the conflicts and contradictions suffered as he travels through a Europe menaced by Fascist oppression. Katie Hamilton’s gripping production made powerful use of photographic backdrops to highlight, within this one-hour show, the struggle for survival that David undergoes. Particularly pronounced was the sharp contrast between the thuggish brutality that was as unpredictable as the moments of compassion that confronted him in the successive countries he passed through. A large and committed cast did full justice to this complex and, ultimately, hopeful play about the powers of persisting and searching. Particular mention must be made to Mia K, Digby V and Harriet F whose skilful interweaving to create a single character was truly impressive.