The Chechnya Plays
In Spring 2017 with reports coming in from Chechnya that gay men were being forcibly detained, tortured and murdered, we decided to put on the Chechnya Plays. This consisted of an already existing satire on Russia's civil service and the federal adoption of the "gay propaganda" law in 2013 (Boris Got Buggered) and a brand new short play (Ramzanland is Freedomlannd) satirising the little we knew about what was happening in the Chechen region.
With support from Theatre Deli, and in aid of Amnesty International UK we put the plays on at the Theatre Deli Old Library in Camberwell with a cast including the voice of Sir Ian McKellen. We included an after-show debate with the support of a number of peers, activists, human rights barristers and artists.
The show subsequently transferred to the Kings Head Queer Festival with a slightly altered cast.
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Theatre Deli, Camberwell Cast
David Wentworth Lee Knight William Donaldson Edward Avison-Scott Ian McKellen (voice) Stage management: Harry Holmes |
Kings Head, Islington Cast
David Wentworth Lee Knight Kane Surrey Chris Barley Ian McKellen (voice) |
More recently in Summer 2019 the Chechnya Plays, with a brand new third part, Three Steps Back; was performed in association with 5Pound5 Theatre by the Drama Group of the London Gay Mens' Dance Company at the 2Brewers, Clapham.
The Chechnya Plays; including the recorded unseen role played by Sir Ian McKellen, are available for performance by both professional and non-professional groups wishing to bring light to the plight of LGBTQ+ people around the world.
For details on the FREE performance rights, and the stipulations which accompany them please email [email protected]
The Chechnya Plays; including the recorded unseen role played by Sir Ian McKellen, are available for performance by both professional and non-professional groups wishing to bring light to the plight of LGBTQ+ people around the world.
For details on the FREE performance rights, and the stipulations which accompany them please email [email protected]
Production shots of the Old Library, Camberwell production. (Photo credit: Bonnie Britain.)
