Yesterday Was a Weird Day
Encyclopedia
Yesterday Was a Weird Day is a documentary theatre
production which brings together personal testimonies from the London bombings
of the 7 July 2005. The production was hastily put together for the 2005 Edinburgh Festival
, where it was critically acclaimed for its sensitivity in dealing with the tragic events of that day. The play later ran, with improved set design and added testimonials, at the Battersea Arts Centre
in London, during 2006.
In the aftermath of the July 7th bombings, directors Ben Freedman and Mimi Poskitt, and journalist Ruaridh Arrow, began collecting and recording experiences and stories from those involved. Immediate reactions from the day were juxtaposed with interviews conducted after the event. These interviews are re-enacted on stage, word for word, alongside visual and audio footage.
Yesterday Was a Weird Day was performed by actors, Aykut Himli, Janette Nicolle Nzekwe, Toby Manley and Charity Wakefield
.
The result was described as a vivid, honest and uniquely moving form of documentary theatre. The production featured insightful and controversial reflections from George Galloway
, David Shayler
, a defected Iraqi Army Colonel, leading Muslim scholars, and politicians.
The play was notable for Ruaridh Arrow's interview with former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
, which attracted national press attention when the politician died just days after it was recorded. It has been widely reported as Cook's last interview, and extracts were published as part of his obituary in The Guardian
newspaper.
Only a small percentage of the material gathered is staged. In order to allow audiences to hear and read all of the interviews and recordings, transcripts were available to view after the performance. Yesterday Was a Weird Day is a fluid and constantly moving work. There is opportunity for audiences to contribute to this documentation of July 7th by recording their own thoughts with the producers. These contributions will feed into the future development of the piece.
Look Left Look Right donated proceeds from this production to the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund.
Documentary theatre
Documentary theatre is theatre that wholly or in part uses pre-existing documentary material as source material for the script, ideally without altering its wording.-History:...
production which brings together personal testimonies from the London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
of the 7 July 2005. The production was hastily put together for the 2005 Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, where it was critically acclaimed for its sensitivity in dealing with the tragic events of that day. The play later ran, with improved set design and added testimonials, at the Battersea Arts Centre
Battersea Arts Centre
The Battersea Arts Centre is a performance space near Clapham Junction in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth that specialises in music and theatre productions.-History:...
in London, during 2006.
In the aftermath of the July 7th bombings, directors Ben Freedman and Mimi Poskitt, and journalist Ruaridh Arrow, began collecting and recording experiences and stories from those involved. Immediate reactions from the day were juxtaposed with interviews conducted after the event. These interviews are re-enacted on stage, word for word, alongside visual and audio footage.
Yesterday Was a Weird Day was performed by actors, Aykut Himli, Janette Nicolle Nzekwe, Toby Manley and Charity Wakefield
Charity Wakefield
-Background:Wakefield was born in Sussex, England in September 1980. At a couple of months old she moved with her mother, Caroline, to L'Ampolla in Catalonia, Spain. They returned to England when Wakefield was four. She has a half-sister, Olivia...
.
The result was described as a vivid, honest and uniquely moving form of documentary theatre. The production featured insightful and controversial reflections from George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
, David Shayler
David Shayler
David Shayler is a British journalist and former MI5 officer. Shayler earned notoriety after being prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act 1989 for his passing secret documents to the Mail on Sunday in August 1997 that alleged that MI5 was paranoid about socialists, and that it had previously...
, a defected Iraqi Army Colonel, leading Muslim scholars, and politicians.
The play was notable for Ruaridh Arrow's interview with former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
Robin Cook
Robert Finlayson Cook was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Livingston from 1983 until his death, and notably served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001....
, which attracted national press attention when the politician died just days after it was recorded. It has been widely reported as Cook's last interview, and extracts were published as part of his obituary in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper.
Only a small percentage of the material gathered is staged. In order to allow audiences to hear and read all of the interviews and recordings, transcripts were available to view after the performance. Yesterday Was a Weird Day is a fluid and constantly moving work. There is opportunity for audiences to contribute to this documentation of July 7th by recording their own thoughts with the producers. These contributions will feed into the future development of the piece.
Look Left Look Right donated proceeds from this production to the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund.