Labels

Joe Sellman-Leava returns to the stage with Labels, a ground-breaking production which examines how language can dehumanise people and tries to answer a complex question: “where are you from?”. Directed by Katharina Reinthaller (Ölum ve Kiz/Death and the Maiden, Mill eld Theatre and Arcola Theatre; To She or Not to She, Lyric Hammersmith), Labels draws on Sellman-Leava’s experiences of being mixed-heritage, it discusses issues of racism, immigration and displacement in modern British society. This production questions the markers individuals are given by others and how these constructed identities become a defining attribute of their existence. Throughout the production, Sellman-Leava attaches white stickers to himself as a physical manifestation of the labels he has been given during his life. Sellman-Leava invites the audience to challenge the labels they give and receive.