England People Very Nice writer courts fresh controversy with Afghanistan play
Playwright Richard Bean has left a trail of controversy in his wake at the National Theatre where his play England People Very Nice, about three centuries of immigration to east London, has been accused in some quarters of racism - even provoking (admittedly small-scale) protests outside the theatre. Now he is preparing for his latest outing, as the writer of one of 12 plays about Afghanistan to be staged later this month at the Tricycle theatre in London.
Bean brushes off the National theatre debacle: "It was never anything much - the play's sold out for April, so who cares? It's a hit." His Afghanistan play, On the Side of the Angels, part of the Great Game season examining the country's history from 1842 to the present, looks set to be similarly uncompromising in its challenge to conventional liberal values. The play examines the role of western NGOs in Afghanistan. It is, he says, "about the cultural imperialism debate. What are we doing there? Are we interested in democracy or should aid workers simply be trying to raise living standards? Most people in the west would like to see NGOs building girls' schools and encouraging women's rights, whereas these are exactly the projects to attract the ire of the Taliban and local warlords."..
Read entire article at Guardian (UK)
Bean brushes off the National theatre debacle: "It was never anything much - the play's sold out for April, so who cares? It's a hit." His Afghanistan play, On the Side of the Angels, part of the Great Game season examining the country's history from 1842 to the present, looks set to be similarly uncompromising in its challenge to conventional liberal values. The play examines the role of western NGOs in Afghanistan. It is, he says, "about the cultural imperialism debate. What are we doing there? Are we interested in democracy or should aid workers simply be trying to raise living standards? Most people in the west would like to see NGOs building girls' schools and encouraging women's rights, whereas these are exactly the projects to attract the ire of the Taliban and local warlords."..