"It's a bit like an opportunity to be a fly on a wall in a world that you would otherwise not have access to and I think that wherever you're from, that's an intriguing and fascinating opportunity."
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Kate McGrath, producer of the Barber Shop Chronicles, believes for a lot of Australians, this play will share insight and new perspective into African culture and diaspora around the world.
For many African men, the barber shop is more than a place to just get a haircut. As described by actor Kwami??? Odoom???, the play "explores the importance of barber shops within various parts of the African diaspora and African countries".
"Often they are a space for black men to congregate and be themselves and discuss things they wouldn't necessarily be able to discuss in any other situation," he said.
Written by British-based playwright Inua??? Ellams???, Barber Shop Chronicles explores a range of themes, from father-son relationships, generation gaps to everyday obsessions.
The audience visits six barber shops across the world and delves into the lives of individuals dealing with problems in their lives.
As actor Sule??? Rimi??? explains, there is a universality to the issues these men face.
"The important thing is that regardless of how different all these men are, their stories are the same. Their shared problems, their shared pain, they are universal problems and I think that transcends whether or not you're African," he said.
While there is this commonality between the characters, Ms McGrath also shares this "real sense of specificity" that is portrayed in the show.
"At the end there is a comment about being a black man and for me, one of the things the show does so beautifully is to share with the audience the wonderful diversity, complexity, particularity and specificity of all of these different characters from all over the African continent and indeed the diaspora in London," she said.
"I'm a white woman and I've been working on this show for seven years and for me, I feel one of the privileges of working on it, is this incredible insight into a complex beautiful culture, traditions, jokes, politics, different understandings of the world."
Barber Shop Chronicles is part of this year's Sydney Festival and will be playing at the Seymour Centre from January 18 to 28.
