@ Tron Theatre, Glasgow, until Sat 21 Jun 2015

A Thousand Kindnesses, part of Refugee Festival Scotland (3-21 June 2015), is an unassuming and gentle protest against the atrocities of war in the form of a one-woman monologue written and performed by Rachel Jury. This latest piece from issue-based, community theatre company conFAB is a collection of individual accounts of everyday acts of kindness from around the world by people who have recently suffered war and conflict. It acknowledges and celebrates these small moments of humanity as acts of resistance which challenge the macro-devastation of war.

Jury infuses personal anecdotes with verbatim accounts of refugees in Scotland and civilians living in warzones, such as Al-Fashir and Ukraine. She recounts fond memories of her father’s generosity, interspersed with heart-warming moments such as the sharing of food amongst neighbours from opposing communities in Pakistan and India. Comparing such humble existences with personal childhood problems, such as the guilt she felt when convincing her father to buy her a new toy (although they were no longer amongst the nouveau riche) allows the audience to reflect on Western privilege and illuminates the wider issues of war, suffering and poverty.

Jury’s presence is immediately felt as the audience enter and she stands in close proximity on a bare stage. Her tough, military appearance and clenched fists create a severity that she instantly belies with a smile and gentle style of direct address as the play begins. The softness of her voice reveals a necessary vulnerability as she presents a contemplative account of her childhood, giving the performance intimacy and truthfulness. She combines these moments with verbatim style accounts fluidly; a little more differentiation between accents when embodying these interviewed characters would be advantageous, but her portrayal of a young Sudanese schoolboy was endearing and commendable.

A Thousand Kindnesses doesn’t preach about refugee rights or present itself as politically resistant theatre; rather, this gentle, unassuming soliloquy feels more personal and relatable than any piece of performance protest. The audience becomes witness to the trauma and suffering of strangers, understanding the importance of basic human connections, regardless of ethnicity. Jury displays her own act of compassion, and the wonderfully simplistic thing is seeing an ordinary woman stand unapologetically centre stage and give a voice to vulnerable, otherwise invisible people. With a small nod to her own marginalisation as a lesbian and the fight for gay rights, Jury’s thoughtful performance blurs the lines between the self and the other, highlighting an important message for Refugee Week: we are all human, after all.