TROJAN HORSE Will Embark on UK Tour

Following a hugely successful run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018, LUNG's bold verbatim drama is set to return for a national tour (3rd October - 21st November), marking the first time the show has visited communities directly affected by the inquiry.

Drawing on over 200 hours of interviews conducted with teachers, students, parents and governors, Helen Monks (Raised By Wolves, Inside No. 9 and Upstart Crow) and award-winning playwright and director Matt Woodhead uncover the truth behind the local story which made national press, accusing 'hardline' Muslim teachers and governors of plotting extremism in Birmingham schools.

With conversations around religion and education continuing to dominate headlines, Trojan Horse is the strikingly pertinent story of a community torn apart by racial division, 'British values' and the culture of Prevent. Originally developed with Leeds Playhouse, the multi award-winning drama (Scotsman Fringe First, Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award) examines the media storm which saw Birmingham schools facing high levels of press scrutiny.

Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead said, "'We want this play to be opening up a conversation. When we first started researching Trojan Horse we thought we were going to be writing about something historic - an event that had happened in the past. But it soon became clear that the trauma Trojan Horse caused has not left the city of Birmingham. So much is still left unresolved for the people it most affected. The play tells the story of what happened from multiple angles, using the real voices of the people involved, with the aim of giving the teachers and governors in Alum Rock the fair trial they never had.'"

Matt Woodhead is the Artistic Director of LUNG and is an award-winning playwright and theatre director. He has co-written and directed The 56, E15 and Chilcot. All have been published by Oberon Books and have toured with Battersea Arts Centre. In 2016, The 56 was adapted for BBC Radio 4 and was shortlisted for Best Adaption in the BBC Radio Awards 2017. Matt trained on the National Theatre Studio Director's Programme. He was the Trainee Director at West Yorkshire Playhouse, has won the Director's Guild Award for Best Newcomer in 2015, received the John Fernald Award and an award from the Peggy Ramsay Foundation.

Helen Monks is an actor, writer and the creative director of LUNG. Her acting roles include Germaine in Raised by Wolves (Channel 4), Susanna in Upstart Crow (BBC2), Amy in Election Spy (Channel 4), Collette in Inside No. 9 (BBC2), Rose in Maxx (channel 4), Maja in Genius (National Geographic Channel), and Lucy in No One Will Tell Me How To Start A Revolution (Hampstead Theatre). Her writing credits include One Day (BBC Radio), The Chicken Salad of a Troubled Mind (Wireless Radio Company), Pillow Talk (Tacchi Morris Arts Centre), Dolly Wants To Die (LUNG), and E15 (LUNG) which she co-wrote with Matt Woodhead.

Running Time: 80 mins (inc/not inc interval) | Suitable for ages 14+

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