The novel The Flowers of Srebrenica was written in 2022 by Aidan Hehir. In her director’s notes Lara Parmiani states that this play is not intended to be an adaptation, but rather the spark for its conception. As a result, the play has a feeling of being devised in a theatre workshop rather than following a prewritten script. It is highly visual with a slight narrative and is performed by actors from three countries that have experienced recent civil wars. The play is performed in English, although some of the diction was not always clear.
It tells the story of Aidan, an Irish lecturer, visiting Bosnia to expand his knowledge of the conflicts about which he teaches. He is driven to Srebrenica by Mohammed, who turns out to have been much involved in the conflicts, and who leads Aidan to a fuller understanding of the horrors of that conflict. The other three actors, all women dressed in white, formed a sort of Greek chorus commenting on the actors’ thoughts and motivations. They moved in stylised, almost dance like style around the set, including writhing on the floor from time to time, digging in and stroking the soil of the ground where the massacres had taken place.
The setting was striking. A simple metal frame delineated the acting area, which was hung with some large transparent plastic sheets, which were moved around by the cast from time to time. On the floor there was a large circular pile of black granular material representing the earth. On the back of the playing area were projected images: some cartoon-like, some realistic and some very moving lists of the genocides which had occurred since the Bosnian wars, and those who had died in them.
The presentation was highly professional and effective. The actors worked well together but Edin Suljic was outstanding as the driver and ex-soldier, with his tall and angular stature making him the dominant character, impossible to take your eyes off. The lighting designed by Cheng Keng and the sound designed by Jovana Backovic did much to invoke the atmosphere of the piece.
Towards the end of the drama members of the cast picked up handfuls of the soil and moved into the audience and gave it to some to hold. I was sitting on the end of a row and was selected to receive one of these handfuls of earth. After the show I wondered what I should do with it. I decided to take it home and put it in one of my orchid pots. It seemed a suitable memory of all those countless people who have died in civil conflicts in Bosnia and the years since, which this play remembers.
The Flowers of Srebrenica is playing at Jacksons Lane Theatre until 18th October 2025. Tickets are available from www.jacksonslane.org.uk
Reviewer: Paul Ackroyd
Reviewed: 15th October 2025
North West End UK Rating: