Luciar and Alé are two strangers who have an unexpected meeting in the most unlikely of places: a cassette shop. Their first conversation is weird, confusing, and complicated. However, it soon becomes clear that there is much more to their relationship than meets the eye. Before long, their shared experiences of music, magic, movement, and migration emerge, challenging who they thought they were and who they're meant to be. What develops is an unanticipated relationship based on creativity, conflict, and the confluence of human existence, surprising not least Luciar and Alé, but all those who believe in the power of hope.

An original production, The Cassette Shop is a mix of testimony, ethnopoetic, devised, and documentary theatre. It was created by a group of asylum-seeking Storytellers based in Washington, DC, a process that was facilitated by Lead Deviser Asif Majid. Hailing from countries as diverse as Iraq, Indonesia, The Gambia, Venezuela, China, and elsewhere, the group worked for over a year to create a production that is true to the experience of asylum seeking, while emphasizing the hope and hilarity that is so often such journeys. While the stories that are shared in this production draw inspiration from the experiences of the Storytellers, details, names, and places have been changed for the protection of the Storytellers and their loved ones.