Play that explores aftermath of brutal events

Theatre is often the perfect forum for discussing issues which might otherwise not get an airing due to their disturbing or complex nature. Next week, a play arrives at Hull Truck which addresses some very thorny philosophical and moral questions.

The Events by David Grieg, which won rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe over the summer and is currently touring the UK, is a brave piece of theatre which explores the nature of forgiveness, reconciliation and understanding.

After a horrific politically motivated massacre takes place in a small unnamed village, church minister Claire (played by Neve McIntosh) attempts to heal the wounds of her community and reach some kind of understanding as to why the attack, which resulted in the deaths of members of her church choir, took place. McIntosh is joined by just one other actor on stage, Rudi Dharmalingam, who plays all the other parts, including the young gunman.

Co-produced by the Young Vic Theatre, The Actors Touring Company and the Shauspielhaus of Vienna, The Events is directed by Ramin Gray who has worked with Grieg before, having directed two of his plays both of which were about Islam and the Middle East.

The Events was inspired by the terrible killings on the Norwegian island of Utoya in the summer of 2011 which left over 70 people, mostly teenagers attending a youth camp organised by the Norwegian Labour Party, dead.

“When Anders Breivik killed all those people in Norway, he published a huge manifesto on the internet and a lot of it was about Islam and trying to ‘save Europe’ from Islamisisation,” says Gray who is also artistic director of the Actors Touring Company. “It is an interesting topic. These are really important things to discuss and I am very aware that the liberal part of the cultural establishment – the Guardian readers and Radio 4 listeners – does not always like to look at the reality of these issues.” So Gray contacted Grieg and they travelled to Oslo together in the autumn of 2011, shortly after the actual events took place. “We spoke to lots of people and did lots of interviews,” says Gray. “Some people said to us ‘why are you giving this man airtime?’ which was very useful for us to hear. We didn’t ever want it to be a story that focused on Breivik. So many Hollywood films, for example, want to get inside the head of the killer whereas this seeks to tell the story of those on the receiving end who have to mull it over and ask ‘why did this happen?’”

In many ways the play is about the fundamental human desire to explain the unexplainable. “Whenever something like this happens – the 7/7 bombings and the attacks at the Boston Marathon and the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi – we spend time trying to comprehend them,” says Gray. “One of the questions the play asks is ‘is it really possible to comprehend – is there an answer?’ These type of events get under our skin, we become obsessed by them and the play looks at how we are left to respond.”

A significant part of the play involves music specially composed by the Irish composer John Browne, who has created choral arrangements for the band Elbow, and choirs local to each theatre on the UK tour participate in the performance. At Hull Truck, the actors will be supported by The Dove House Hospice community choir and The Hull University choir. They meet the assistant director an hour before the show but otherwise, they are experiencing it as live in almost the same way that the audience is.

They sing three of four songs that the theatre company has asked them to learn beforehand and read out sections of speeches, but the first piece they sing on stage is a song they have chosen that they feel represents their choir – which means it is different every night. “Running a touring theatre company, we are in a new city every week and I am very aware that each has its own specific problems,” says Gray. “This is a real attempt to engage with the local community. They literally have a voice on stage.”

Despite the fact that the play has come out of a terrible tragedy, its main message is positive and uplifting. “We are all struggling with the issues of multiculturalism, immigration and migration and how we form our communities,” says Gray. “One of the main things about the show is that it brings people together – theatre can do that better than any other art form. I think it’s good for theatre to be aware of that power and to use it in a responsible and useful way.”

The play will be performed in Vienna and Gray is currently looking for theatres in France where it might be staged; poignantly, it will tour to Norway later this year. “The issues that are raised by the play affect practically each and every country across Europe,” says Gray. “There were people in Norway who said to us ‘come and do the play here; you as outsiders can do this.’”

The Events is at Hull Truck Theatre, November 5-10, Tickets on 01482 323638.

Award-winning production

The Events had a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe and won a prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award as well as the coveted Carol Tambor Award.

David Grieg’s recent plays include Midsummer, Dunsinane, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart and the new West End stage musical of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Before taking on the post at the Actors Touring Company, Ramin Gray was associate director at the Royal Court.

He has also directed at the RSC, Out of Joint, The Gate and in many theatres across Europe.

The ATC has an extensive UK and international touring programme.