Several members of the Warrington Group attended the drama production of Feeding the Darkness at the Chester Quaker meeting house on Saturday 18 February.  This was an amazing 65 minutes of drama by the Journeyman Theatre devised, written and performed by Dave and Lynn Morris about State sanctioned torture.

The title is intriguing but suggests that through general apathy on behalf of many sections of society we are feeding the darkness that represents torture of detainees in many prisons and interrogation centres around the world.  It felt unsettling and challenging as the dramas and poems explored many aspects and elements of the topic from all perspectives including perpetrators, victims and their families.  Always respectful of victims of torture some of the most insightful pieces explored life in a UK detention centre, an asylum seeker’s appeals tribunal and reflections of Lynndie England’s mother Terri attempting to make sense of what her daughter had been involved in at Abu Ghraib in Bagdad during the occupation of Iraq.

Following the drama there was a question and answer session with Lynn and Dave hosted by the Wrexham and Chester Amnesty Group Chair.  It was obvious from their answers to many questions relating to the authenticity of what we had just experienced how much research and cross referencing they had done to verify what they presented.

This production was commissioned by the Quaker Concern for the Abolition of Torture (Q-CAT) but more information on future performances can be found at www.journemantheatre.com.  Flyer of the event is attached.

Inevitably, having watched such a thought provoking drama the next step is to question yourself – what can I do?  There are many things we can do; perhaps consider joining organisations such as Amnesty International UK and Freedom from Torture who are involved in campaigns and actions to stop torture and support survivors, reading Torture is a Moral Issue by George Humsinger or asking our local MP to raise questions about conditions in UK detention centres.