THE BRITISH COUNCIL AND THE POWER OF THEATRE
on a piece about the radicalisation of young Muslims in Tower Hamlets ( a borough in London ); even in this , he says that the power of the living research leads him to a deeper understanding of racism in the UK and how it affects society — and has led him to a more tolerant view of Islam . That ’ s power in action if you like : but Nick insists on only using verbatim text , whereas another strongly political British playwright like David Hare adds fiction to the mix to support his view of the situation , which , to my mind , weakens the audience ’ s ability to make up its own mind ; it ’ s all too directional .
“ Tragic catharsis ”— that ’ s what an audience goes through in such drama and with the Greeks . Director and actor Fiona Shaw refers to this as “ the rhythm of theatre ”— when everything is right , she says , “ the heartbeat of the audience matches that of the players , that ’ s what makes theatre unique .” As long as the rhythm is correct , it doesn ’ t matter what language it ’ s in — it ’ s the emotion that counts .
Figure 8 : Minefield , Royal Court Theatre , Lift , Brighton Festival
More in line with the Tricycle model was a very recent example , which we were closely involved with relating to the UK ’ s troubled relationship with Argentina — now happily on an upward path . It was called Minefield ( an apt title !) and was a developed drama through dialogue and documentary between war veterans from both sides of the Falklands conflict in 1984 . 3 It involved a co-commission by the Brighton Festival and London International Festival of Theatre , alongside the Royal Court , and included an experienced Argentinian director , Lola Arias . It wasn ’ t about the contested sovereignty of the islands , but a considered psychological take on the effects of war on combatants and families from both sides , through the lens of the conflict . After the war many got new jobs , as security guards or musicians for example ... and today all they have in common is that they fought each other . Our Foreign Office was initially nervous , but we felt this
3 https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = Xvm9NWr6I4Q 15