Theatre brings home the reality of detention camp

A small London theatre, the Tricycle, has become the dynamo for worldwide opposition to the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay with its sell-out play based on the testimonies of affected families.

A small London theatre, the Tricycle, has become the dynamo for worldwide opposition to the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay with its sell-out play based on the testimonies of affected families.

Nicolas Kent, its director, has received a flood of e-mails of support after tackling the case of the detainees at the venue, which has previously dramatised the inquiries into the Stephen Lawrence murder, the Matrix Churchill arms affair and the suicide of David Kelly.

It has also succeeded in connecting some of the families of the four British men still held. The family of Martin Mubanga spoke out about their plight for the first time after seeing Guantanamo. It was described by The Independent's critic Paul Taylor as "heart-breaking." Nicholas de Jongh of the Evening Standard praised its "raw vitality".

As the play transferred to the West End this week after selling out for three weeks at the Tricycle in Kilburn, north-west London, Mr Kent said: "It does seem to have sparked interest from around the world. I think for the families it has reinforced the feeling that there are other people on their side."

The only notable parties not to have been moved by the production so far appear to have been the politicians. Relevant ministers have been invited to see the show; so far they have declined.

Gillian Slovo, the co-author of the play, said: "Although the Government is telling is we don't understand the complexities, I don't think the Prime Minister necessarily understands the complexities of what it has done to individuals."

When their delegation visited the Foreign Office this month and met Chris Mullin, the Foreign Office minister, he had been surprised, she said, to discover that the family of Moazzam Begg had received no letters since March, and nobody knew why. "That's the kind of thing the Prime Minister doesn't know, that's the kind of detail he doesn't need to know but that coming to see the play would give him. It would give him access to the personal stories."

Although she was wary about over-emphasising the political impact of theatre, she said: "I hope it does move people and I hope it does change people."

Four thousand signatures were on the latest petition handed to the Foreign Office on behalf of the four Britons still at Guantanamo. Many came through the Tricycle.