Meet the Writer of Secret Summer: Anan Tello

When Stand & Be Counted commissioned me to write Secret Summer, I thought it was going to be an easy task. Little did I know The Park was PACKED with drama…

Not exactly what I had in mind. It’s even got its own parliament, and MPs Mr Slug and Mr Frog are not big on giving vocal people like me a platform… thankfully I had the support of Ms Raven MP. It was also a bit difficult to get into the park with Squirrel waiting at the gate armed with riddles and nutshells. However, the biggest challenge was to give hope to the younger generations at a time when I was struggling to see it myself.

During the period when I was writing Secret Summer, I was fighting for my right to exist and thrive in a world constantly telling Syrians that their lives are so insignificant. And I was drained. When I met the youth working with SBC, I wondered how they’d survive this cruel world. I wished I had the power to make it a better place for them. It made me angry – or angrier – that I couldn’t even improve things for myself; how on the dying planet could I fix the world for others?

It turns out I can make life a bit better for many… by taking people on an adventure.

Media images and discourse have the power to impact the lives of individuals. And while theatre companies might not have the influence that mainstream outlets do, they’re capable of making life a bit more tolerable for a great number of people… and perhaps changing the perceptions of countless others. Towards the end of 2021, I had begun to lose faith in the concept of a Theatre of Sanctuary, but then I met the SBC team, who said to me in our first Zoom call: “Let’s be friends.” And I knew I found my people.

The world can be overwhelming, and it’s spaces like SBC’s workshops and projects that provide emotional camping grounds for all of us to breathe, restore our faith in humanity, and recharge.

I wrote Secret Summer for myself. I wrote it because I need to go on an adventure while at the same time processing the complexities of today’s world. I wrote it because I wanted to take the SBC team and the collaborating young folks on this adventure with me. I wanted to create a world that’s safe and fun for everyone, yet isn’t unrealistically flowery. Life is a balance of hardship and ease. Everywhere, there is a Ballerina Rat fighting for her right to dream, Beetles starting over in a new, unwelcoming place, a heated parliamentary debate, hardworking Ants blindly following their Queen, and Slugs that think they own the planet. But just as well, there are sophisticated Robins, true love between Donkeys and Unicorns, outspoken Ravens striving to call Slugs and Frogs out on their injustice and squirrels who admit their mistakes and redeem themselves.

Above all, there are true friends through whom we see the beauty of the world.

Secret Summer is a live meets digital adventure in Endcliffe Park. Launching 2nd + 3rd July 12pm-3pm, available in English and Arabic.

Check out our Events page for more info!