Songs of Solidarity is a bold, interdisciplinary project that asks what an epic for our time might look like — one written and performed by migrants, drawing on the ancient traditions of Gilgamesh, the Aeneid and the Kalevala to tell the stories of displacement, belonging and survival that define our world today.

Over the last few years, supported by the Oxford Cultural Programme, we started working with five incredible writers: Anna Sulan Masing, Inua Ellams, Leo Boix, Sabrina Mahfouz and Saili Katebe. The thrilling range of experiences this group of writers brings, both lived and artistic, will allow us to fully explore our ambition to create a polyphonic, multi-voiced and multicultural performance, inspired by practice and politics from across the globe. You can read more about the early makings of our show on our Substack.

The project is developed in ongoing dialogue with leading academics in classical and epic tradition, migration studies, and the ethics of collaborative storytelling — including scholars from the Institute of Classical Studies, the School of Advanced Study, and the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama at Oxford University. In 2026, whilst we’re continuing to develop the production, our Artistic Director, Josephine Burton has been Practitioner in Residence at the University of London’s School of Advanced Studies. Together with these writers, and curated groups of leading academics and migrant advisors, we are focusing on exploring epic narrative structure, problematic uses in colonial and imperialist contexts, cultural significance, and the role of storytelling in nation building and nationalist ideologies.

Songs of Solidarity will be a vibrant, immersive performance infused with live music, reflecting traditional storytelling formats and bringing audiences into the heart of the action. Songs of Solidarity is a collaboration between Dash Arts and Projekt Utopia, co-directed by Josephine Burton and Maria Aberg. The production premieres in 2027-2028. Watch this space for more info!