Far Gone

Led by a powerful and commanding performance by writer and actor John Rwoth-Omack, Far Gone is based in Northern Uganda and revolves primarily around the theme of child soldiers being recruited into the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). The LRA, led by Joseph Kony, is an extremist organisation with the aim of establishing Christian rule in Uganda. The LRA is powered by raiding local villages and enlisting children as soldiers for their army. The play begins when the innocent young protagonist Okumu is a victim of one of these raids in his village alongside his brother. What follows is a series of devasting horrors that simply have to be seen to be believed.

A heavy topic for a trip to the theatre? As writer and actor Rwoth-Omack has said “For me, theatre has to be more than entertainment. There has to be a reason behind staging anything. It also has to educate, question the narrative and change attitudes.” Far Gone does a great job at meeting this challenge. Whilst Far Gone is certainly gripping and entertaining, perhaps its biggest accomplishment is shining a light onto experiences that many people in this country simply have no exposure towards. Witnessing the extremity and the horrors unfold before your very eyes brings to life the reality that so many in Uganda face on a daily basis.

Far Gone does an incredible job of putting you inside the horrific reality and of transporting you to Northern Uganda. Rwoth-Omack achieves this with a commanding, captivating and passionate one-man performance. Aware that he has to grip the audience’s attention with just his own performance for the entirety of its one hour ten minutes runtime, Rwoth-Omack utilises some clever tricks to keep the audience engaged. As the audience enters the theatre, Rwoth-Omack is already present on stage as protagonist Okumu and invites audience members to join him playing a spinning top game. Highlighting the characters childhood innocence and engaging audience members from the very beginning, this enables Rwoth-Omack to truly shock the audience when the tone shifts dramatically from innocent joy to pure horror as the performance begins in earnest.

Rwoth-Omack convincingly overcomes the challenge of performing as multiple diverse characters simultaneously. Each character is played with such a distinct personality that it is often hard to believe that they are all being presented by the same actor. Particularly effective is the commandant’s cold, hostile and authoritative performance. You do not need to be told when Rwoth-Omack has changed character as his outstanding expressions and postures make it clear beyond words. Rwoth-Omack has the audience in the palm of his hands by constantly involving the audience and maintaining their engagement in the production.

Far Gone is an unmissable piece of theatre if you are interested in learning more and being challenged to experience some of the horrors that young Africans are faced with within the LRA. Go and see Far Gone in Sheffield Studio Theatre from the 17th – 26th February.