Play explores impact of loss and absence on youth in Malmö
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Hedvig Claesson, a director at Malmö City Theatre in Sweden, created a play called “Killar” ("Boys") after noticing a pattern of absent fathers and the effects of gang violence on children in Malmö.
Claesson and dramatist Nanna Berger spent a year and a half interviewing young boys at organizations like Fryshuset, the Red Cross, Lindängen Allaktivitetshus, and Råbyanstalten, a correctional facility, to understand how children cope when someone close to them disappears or dies.
The team focused on the emotional impact of loss, rather than the violence itself, and wanted to give a voice to those affected by it. The resulting play features Yakin Mestour Bustos as Emir, a son whose brother is in prison, and Bashkim Neziraj as Florian, his often-absent father. The play also incorporates the absence of the brother as a character on stage.
Bustos, who grew up in Malmö, felt a strong connection to Emir’s story, describing it as both familiar and therapeutically fictional. Berger struggled with the ethics of using the boys’ stories and considered donating her earnings to Råbyanstalten, ultimately deciding that listening was the most important thing she could do. “Killar” will premiere at Malmö City Theatre Rosengård on September 17th and will also be performed for school groups.
