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ang_rosinI'll not be writing anything here that will significantly spoil the play (as I'll only quote stuff already on public record) but as some of you will probably see it on it's London run I'll cut it
Talking to Terrorists is something that I would call Documentary Theatre but I'm not convinced it's the correct term. The play is based on real-life testimony of those who are connected with terrorism, the protagonists, the politicians, the victims, the relief workers, interwoven to create a continuous dialogue. For the most part the characters are "an IRA member" or "a Ugandan child soldier" but there are a few who are identifiable to the ordinary British audience - Mo Mowlam, of course, and Norman Tebbit, but also the Ambassador for Uzbekistan who's name I had to look up when I got home.
The major strength of the play is that it doesn't take the easy (fashionable?) route and just focus on Iraq and "the war against terror". Instead it also discusses child combatants, victims of the conflict in Africa as well as terrorism in Northern Ireland, Palestine and Kurdistan. It was only while watching this play it struck me that my generation are probably the last to remember the real threat of terrorist acts on mainland Britain, and not just the hyped-up threat of Al Qaeda [1].
The cast performed brilliantly, a little too brilliantly, perhaps, as I found myself gritting my teeth whenever Norman Tebbit spoke. I also found that I didn't spend half the play wondering where I'd seen them before even though there were some familiar faces - always a good sign. While I thought the play explored the circumstances that lead to terrorism I don't think it was overly sympathetic. I also found myself disagreeing with some of the points in the play. I *don't* think that anyone can become a terrorist, I *do* think that sometimes terrorism is driven by more than just a social injustice.
If you are an expert on world politics then Talking to Terrorists may retread old ground for you. For the rest of us I think it's an important play that I'm glad I took the time to see.
[1] While I realise, theoretically, Al Qaeda could bomb the UK they haven't, unlike the IRA. This is also a good place to point out that I realise certain areas of the UK still live under daily threat of sectarian trouble.
I saw Talking to Terrorists at Liverpool Everyman Theatre. It's at The Royal Court, London, from 30th June.
Talking to Terrorists is something that I would call Documentary Theatre but I'm not convinced it's the correct term. The play is based on real-life testimony of those who are connected with terrorism, the protagonists, the politicians, the victims, the relief workers, interwoven to create a continuous dialogue. For the most part the characters are "an IRA member" or "a Ugandan child soldier" but there are a few who are identifiable to the ordinary British audience - Mo Mowlam, of course, and Norman Tebbit, but also the Ambassador for Uzbekistan who's name I had to look up when I got home.
The major strength of the play is that it doesn't take the easy (fashionable?) route and just focus on Iraq and "the war against terror". Instead it also discusses child combatants, victims of the conflict in Africa as well as terrorism in Northern Ireland, Palestine and Kurdistan. It was only while watching this play it struck me that my generation are probably the last to remember the real threat of terrorist acts on mainland Britain, and not just the hyped-up threat of Al Qaeda [1].
The cast performed brilliantly, a little too brilliantly, perhaps, as I found myself gritting my teeth whenever Norman Tebbit spoke. I also found that I didn't spend half the play wondering where I'd seen them before even though there were some familiar faces - always a good sign. While I thought the play explored the circumstances that lead to terrorism I don't think it was overly sympathetic. I also found myself disagreeing with some of the points in the play. I *don't* think that anyone can become a terrorist, I *do* think that sometimes terrorism is driven by more than just a social injustice.
If you are an expert on world politics then Talking to Terrorists may retread old ground for you. For the rest of us I think it's an important play that I'm glad I took the time to see.
[1] While I realise, theoretically, Al Qaeda could bomb the UK they haven't, unlike the IRA. This is also a good place to point out that I realise certain areas of the UK still live under daily threat of sectarian trouble.
I saw Talking to Terrorists at Liverpool Everyman Theatre. It's at The Royal Court, London, from 30th June.