Huawei? Trump? Brexit? Are you worried about strains being put on the so-called “special relationship” between the UK and the US? Whatever your thoughts, Hassan Abdulrazzak’s new play The Special Relationship will make you reassess… starting with these interviews with writer, director and three deportees whose real-life experiences inform the piece. Time to get booking!
The Special Relationship, telling true stories from the sharp edge of transatlantic deportation, runs at Soho Theatre from 26 February to 21 March 2020, with press nights on 3 and 4 March. It’s presented by Synergy Theatre Project, which specialises in working with prisoners and ex-prisoners.
A grain of cocaine, a digit on a breathalyser, a forged cheque or murder one?
In America, foreign nationals can be deported after serving prison sentences. Some of them are British. Caught in the transatlantic tango between Donald Trump and Theresa May and proudly presented by a gun-toting immigration officer, these are their true stories of double punishment and separation from their loved ones.
The Special Relationship is written by Hassan Abdulrazzak (Baghdad Wedding, Love Bombs and Apples, The Prophet) and was researched in collaboration with Prisoners Abroad, a UK charity supporting British citizens imprisoned overseas and returning to the UK. Esther Baker directs for Synergy Theatre Project.
Hassan Abdulrazzak & Esther Baker
Deportees tell their stories
