Faith, Hope and Charity

»Faith, Hope and Charity« is set in a run-down community centre somewhere on the outskirts of a city. Rainwater is leaking through the roof and Hazel is busy in the kitchen. She keeps the centre running and cooks pasta for anyone who needs a warm meal or just a place where they can meet others and temporarily escape from their loneliness. There is also Mason, an optimistic ex-prisoner looking for a new start in life, who is setting up a choir at the centre. Disparate members of the community come together week in, week out to sing with him. During the practice, which Mason enthusiastically leads from his keyboard, we get to know the various members of the choir and their stories: there is Beth, who is caught up in a court fight to keep her daughter Faith from being taken into state care; Bernard, who is struggling with mental health; the grief-stricken Anthony who lives in a homeless shelter; Leigh, who is suffering from alcoholism; the young Tharwa, a Sudanese refugee looking for meals for herself and her young daughter Tala while their residency remains in limbo; and many others. Although Mason never tires of insisting how much he believes in »growth« for each individual it becomes increasingly evident that all the singers in his choir are among those people who have been dangerously oppressed by the system. Beneath all of this, the centre which is a lifeline for all of these characters, is being threatened with closure.

»Faith, Hope and Charity« concludes »The Inequalities« trilogy. The first part, »Beyond Caring«, is playing in the Schaubühne repertoire; the second, »LOVE«, can be seen as a film in this edition of the FIND. As in the previous two parts, Alexander Zeldin’s new production deploys a hyper-realistic set design and psychological, actor-centric theatre. Professionals and non-professional performers have collaborated on this production to tell the story of people who are at the sharp end of austerity.