Objects in the Mirror

In 2009, playwright Charles Smith traveled to Adelaide, Australia to see a production of his play Free Man of Color. The production featured a young Liberian actor named Shedrick Yarkpai in the title role. Smith got to know the young actor and learned about his tumultuous journey from war-torn Liberia, through a number of refugee camps in Western Africa, before his final relocation to Australia. Objects in the Mirror was inspired by Shedrick’s remarkable odyssey. It tells the story of a young immigrant’s journey and his search for a new family, identity and a safe place to call home.