It was my safest place. It was home.

Grenfell: In the words of survivors

‘Grenfell in the words of survivors’, runs from the 13th July to the 26th August at the National Theatre. I would encourage everyone with an interest in post-Grenfell change, to go.

The integrity with which playwright Gillian Slovo, and co-directors Phyllida Lloyd and Anthony Simpson Pike have engaged with the community, and the sensitivity with which they have approached the subject is exemplary.

The play is based on interviews Gillian conducted with a group of survivors and bereaved. It reveals the impact of the multiple failures that led to a national disaster. And asks: how do we stop this ever happening again? And includes an exhibition of Feruza Afewerki’s Gold & Ashes.

Phyllida Lloyd and Gillian Slovo at rehearsals for Grenfell: In the words of survivors. Photo by Feruza Afewerki on the National Theatre Website

Why you should go

To enable change, we need to lean into and confront the impact of our choices and actions. And move beyond the important technical arguments and confront and be altered by the devestating consequences of our decisions. To allow ourselves to be moved in a way that transforms who we are.

This play provides the opportunity for this.

My hope is that those involved in the built environment have the courage to go to the play, and afterwards to reflect on ways we still need to change. From developers, to designers, to constructors, to housing professionals, to regulators and ministers and civil servants, this play has an important message for all of us.

Attending the play is in itself an act of solidarity with those most impacted.

My naive hope is that it provides the opportunity to reflect on progress in a way that alters the disappointing trajectory we are currently on.

Tickets can be booked here.

Follow this link for frequently asked questions from the National’s Website.