Review: TROJAN HORSE, Tron Theatre, Glasgow

Having been well received at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Lung Theatre have embarked on a UK tour with the play which looks at the Trojan Horse Inquiry.

In 2014 a letter was delivered to a politician in Birmingham. It claimed that there was a plan by Muslim educators to radicalise local schools. What followed was an investigation that deeply affected the teachers and communities involved.

Adapted from over 200 hours of interviews, Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead's play examines both the legal side of the investigation and the personal side as we hear from students and teachers. The cast of five give a strong performance as they deftly switch between different roles- a technique which can be a little confusing sometimes but in this case is so well done that the narrative is clear. The play is accompanied by English and Urdu text projections and headsets are available at every performance for a live Urdu translation.

It's not an easy watch as the evidence is laid out and the curriculum is examined by government officials. Nobody is made out to be perfect as the occasional uncomfortable remark or dodgy WhatsApp message is found on a teachers phone. The students are questioned about what exactly is being taught in their schools and it is clear they are distressed by the investigation and reporting in right-wing media.

Although Trojan Horse presents both 'sides' of the investigation the message is very clear- this never should have happened. Trojan Horse is a powerful and provoking piece of theatre.

Trojan Horse runs at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow until 15 February.

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