Prisoner At The World’s End

Set in London’s Belmarsh Prison, dubbed “Britain’s Guantanamo Bay”, in the high security unit, the high-profile Julian Assange is detained, along with many terrorist suspects held there without charge. Playwright Rosemary Johns was stirred by a PEN event she attended back in 2019, where Human Rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson spoke of freedom of expression in defence of her client Assange. Inspired by the talk, Johns spoke to Robinson, who told her of her conversations with a women’s volunteer group known as the Tea Bar in Belmarsh Prison.

Three very opinionated working-class women in different age groups stand at the gates of Belmarsh prison under the one umbrella, on a typical rainy-cold London day. The gates open and they undergo tight security entry requirements - Joanne Davis, Maureen Hartley and Romy Mcllroy give hilarious farcical performances including comical song and dance acts as volunteers who bring a touch of homey comfort to the prisoners, with prime focus on their support for Assange. They never see him, yet they talk of him as if he were family, making sandwiches and crocheting items while gossiping and sharing their own stories in reflection of the incarcerated lives of all the imprisoned men they help.

As with all comedy, there is always the understated tragedy or a teasing out of the apparent “truths”. This production, finely co directed by Rosemary Johns and Elnaz Sheshgelani, sides with Amnesty International’s call for the USA to drop charges against Julian Assange for his apparent espionage related to his publishing activities as part of his work with Wikileaks. They also provide a larger political canvas, exposing political corruption by superpowers and the hypocrisy of a manipulative media mogul.

The highlight of the show is the skittishly entertaining purring cat routine performed by the trio; it digs away at government secrets and the much-loved pets at 10 Downing Street and the White House. A powerful rendition of the Mosul story, performed by Sepideh Karimi, again attempts to bring home the truth on war atrocities involving superpowers and the Iraq government.

Johns has created a colourful and powerful platform for three ordinary women as spokespeople to claim justice for Julian Assange and victims of war.

Flora Georgiou

Photographer: Darren Gill