New play Grenfell: System Failure has been announced this week, with the intention of exploring “how the [bereaved residents] were failed by the London Fire Brigade” and “abandoned by the Local Authority”.
The first play in the series, Grenfell: Value Engineering, opened to critical acclaim in 2021. Written verbatim, it interrogated the handling of Phase Two of the inquiry, and its sequel is set to challenge the Final Phase of the four-year inquiry which ended last month.
A primary focus will be former housing secretary Eric Pickles, who devastated grieving families during his questioning in April: once when he complained of the inquiry wasting his time, stating he had “changed [his] schedules this morning to fit this in”, and on a second occasion whereby he gave the death toll of the Hillsborough Disaster rather than that of Grenfell. Hisam Choucair will also be a focal point, the tragedy having claimed the lives of six of his family.
With those affected by the tragedy still campaigning for justice five years later, Grenfell: System Failure will be keenly scrutinised in its handling of profoundly sensitive subject matter. Nick of Time Productions & Playground Theatre’s commitment to education offers to provide local schools with “a wider understanding of communities, social justice and human rights”.
The play opens at The Playground Theatre on 18 February 2023 before transferring to The Tabernacle, and finally closing at the Marylebone Theatre on 26 March 2023.
Words by Kate Padley
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.