Another World; Losing Our Children to Islamic State - National's Temporary Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
ANOTHER World; Losing Our Children to Islamic State, a piece of verbatim documentary theatre, written by Gillian Slovo and developed with Nicolas Kent from his original idea, will run in the National’s Temporary Theatre from April 15 (previews from April 9) to May 7, 2016.
Over the last twelve months, headlines have been dominated by the growth of Islamic State, and terror attacks claimed by IS have spread across the world. What is the entity that calls itself Islamic State? Why are some young Muslim men and women from across Western Europe leaving their homes to answer the call of Jihad? And what should we do about it?
This piece of verbatim documentary theatre, written by novelist Gillian Slovo using material from the interviews she conducted, and directed by Nicolas Kent, is the result of many months researching Islamic State, meeting people affected by the organisation and involved in the fight against it. Their previous work together includes Guantanamo – Honor Bound to Defend Freedom and The Riots.
The cast includes Nathalie Armin, Zara Azam, Gunnar Cauthery, Jack Ellis, Nabil Elouahabi, Ronak Patani, Gary Pillai, Farshid Rokey, Sirine Saba, Lara Sawalha, Phaldut Sharma and Tim Woodward.
Gillian Slovo is a South African-born writer whose twelve published books include her best-selling family memoir, Every Secret Thing; Red Dust, which won the Témoin du Monde Prize in France and was made into a film starring Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor; and Ice Road which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize.
She has also written two previous verbatim plays: Guantanamo – Honor Bound to Defend Freedom and The Riots based on the 2011 English riots. Her thirteenth novel, Ten Days, is to be published by Canongate in early March and has been chosen as the London book for the City Reads promotion.
Gillian Slovo also served three years as the President of English PEN and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Nicolas Kent was Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre from 1984-2012, where the verbatim plays he directed became known as the Tricycle Tribunal plays and included The Colour of Justice (The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry), Nuremberg, Srebrenica, Bloody Sunday (Olivier Award for Special Achievement), Guantanamo and The Riots. Most were broadcast by the BBC, and two were performed in the Houses of Parliament and on Capitol Hill.
He also directed the nine-hour trilogy The Great Game – Afghanistan which was nominated for an Olivier award and subsequently toured the USA, including two command performances for the Pentagon in Washington; and a two-part, eight-play series looking at the history of nuclear deterrence: The Bomb: a partial history.
Kent has directed productions in over 100 theatres around the world including the West End and New York, as well as for the National Theatre, the RSC, Royal Court, Donmar Warehouse, Hampstead Theatre, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and the Young Vic. His series The Price of Oil was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in autumn 2015.
Another World; Losing Our Children to Islamic State is designed by Lucy Sierra, with lighting design by Matthew Eagland, video design by Duncan McLean and sound design by Mike Winship.
Also in the Temporary Theatre: The Solid Life of Sugar Water (until March 19, 2016).