Wow. I cannot stop thinking about the performance of The Boy At The Back of the Class that I watched at Hall For Cornwall in Truro.
Based on the book of the same name by Onjali Q. Raúf, the play is narrated by nine-year-old Alexa who tells the story of what happens when new boy Ahmet joins her school and sits in the empty seat at the back of the class.
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Ahmet is a Syrian refugee who fled war at home to embark on a harrowing journey to the UK. He arrives in their class not speaking any English, not knowing where his parents are or if they are even alive.
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Alexa and her friends are touched by Ahmet’s story and become determined to help him in any way they can with unexpected and life changing results for them all.
Told from child’s point of view, The Boy At The Back of the Class tackles themes of refugees, war, immigration and loss in an accessible and meaningful way.
This performance reiterated to me how important art and stories are for helping children, and adults, develop empathy and compassion by showing them a glimpse of someone’s else life.
The actors were absolutely fantastic at capturing the essence of the nine-year-old protagonists from their fidgeting and playground antics, to the amazing way kids can find common ground and form friendships despite a language barrier.
The set design, costumes and lighting also did a brilliant job of conveying a range of settings throughout the story from the London Underground to a classroom.
The Boy At The Back of the Class was adapted by Nick Ahad, directed by Monique Touko and is the winner of the Best Family Show Olivier Award. There were children of all ages in the audience when I watched it, but it’s recommended as being suitable for children aged 7+.
The moments of humour sprinkled throughout the performance including references to the A team and every child’s favourite numbers, ‘six-seven’, helped stop this story from feeling too heavy by providing moments of light relief.
The running time was two hours with an interval which absolutely flew by for me and my party as we were all completely absorbed by the drama unfolding in front of us.
You can watch The Boy At The Back of the Class at Hall for Cornwall in Truro from Tuesday 28th April-Saturday 2nd May and can find out more about tickets here. You can also find out more about the show itself on their website.
Located in the centre of Truro, Hall for Cornwall was renovated in 2021 and has over 1000 seats across three tiers.
You can enter from Boscawen Street where the Playhouse Bar is located, or from the other side on Back Quay where there is a lovely cafe serving hot drinks, cakes and snacks. We enjoyed tubs of Callestick ice cream from a stand inside the theatre during the interval.
The Boy at the Back of the Class was inspiring, thought provoking and memorable. I highly recommend it for adults and children alike.
Our tickets were complimentary but all views and opinions are my own.
A mum of two, Naomi Jones is a freelance editor and author. You can find out more about her on her Instagram and website.
