David Labi: "Pieces of a Man"
“Gripping and extremely moving.” - Mike Radford, Executive Producer, BBC
“The show entertainingly combines humour, drama, and intrigue to tell real-life events you can scarcely believe. You question how well you know your own parents.” - Edward McMillan, Artistic Director, The Bridge Theatre Brussels
“A completely brilliant, truthful, moving piece. It’s ringing in my ears and heart.” - Charlie Westenra, Olivier Award-winning theatre director
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Pieces of a Man is a tragicomic one-man show in which David performs the story of his late Holocaust-Survivor father, Marcello. A child prisoner in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Marcello's unresolved trauma fuelled a chaotic and colourful life that impacted heavily upon those closest to him.
The show delves into shifting pasts and parallel presents using photos, video clips, and anecdotes of financial success and ruin, a dramatic mishap at a hospital, an unexplained bomb attack, and more. Questions are raised of identity, trauma, and masculinity, as a father-son story spans unimaginable conflict and vertiginous social change.
Through the lens of Marcello’s rollercoaster life, Pieces of a Man conveys a universal story of unresolved parental trauma. Approaching our complex intergenerational legacies with creativity and joy is shown as a route to personal and collective peace.
ABOUT
David Labi is an ethical storyteller using art and empathy to build more just and sustainable societies. Born in London, he was a fervent youth activist and ran workshops on diverse topics for thousands of youths. He studied literature at Cambridge University, before living in Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Berlin, and now Brussels. Along a varied storytelling career, David has edited top city magazines, published literary translations, written TV scripts, and made film, documentary, and theatre shown at Glastonbury and Edinburgh Fringe. David’s ethical storytelling agency Good Point helps clients develop powerful stories and producing creative material from animated videos to graphic novels.
