Play will look at Battle of Orgreave

PLAYWRIGHTS plan to stage their own Orgreave inquiry in Westminster after ministers ruled one out - and they need help.

Open Minds Theatre Company announced plans to develop a theatre show based on the experiences of participants in the battle.

The Ballad of Orgreave will combine recollections of 1984, reflections on the day and songs based on these testimonies.

It will be written by Open Minds’ associate director Alice Bartlett, who has produced similar projects before.

She documented the 2001 foot and mouth crisis in Silence of a Dale, while Not In My Name tackled the impacts of religious extremism.

Both pieces of “documentary theatre” drew on real-life events to create a compelling stage show.

Craig Roberts, theatre company manager and folk musician, will produce music for the Ballad of Orgreave.

He said: “As residents of Rotherham, we are united in condemning the Home Secretary’s decision to continue to obscure the truth about what happened at Orgreave in 1984.

“As artists, we believe in theatre as a voice for communities and a force for change.

“We feel that it is therefore timely to work alongside the people of Orgreave and the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign to develop a new play in support of their ongoing fight for transparency and accountability.”

The show will be performed in Rotherham and Westminster next year.

Rotherham MP Sarah Champion is supporting its performance at the House of Commons, so other MPs can see what an Orgreave inquiry might have been like.

Alice said: “This is a powerful theatrical form which has been used as the basis for hard-hitting plays about events like the murder of the Stephen Lawrence and Bloody Sunday inquiries.”

She is looking to speak with Orgreave survivors to share their memories with writers and anyone interested in acting out the inquiry.

“This includes people who were present at or associated with the Battle of Orgreave or miners’ strikes, as well as their relatives and close friends,” she added.

“No-one will be directly identified within the play unless they want to be and we’ll work closely with contributors to ensure that they’re happy with the representation of their words and experiences.”

Contact Alice at [email protected] for more information on being involved.