New verbatim Grenfell Tower inquiry play to tour three London venues

Verbatim Grenfell Tower Inquiry play Grenfell: System Failure is to tour three London venues in 2023.

The piece is based entirely on the words of those involved in the final phase of the Inquiry (which ended in November 2022)

It will run at The Playground Theatre (18 February – 25 February), The Tabernacle (27 February – 12 March) and Marylebone Theatre (14 March – 26 March).

Grenfell: System Failure interrogates why the testing regime failed to warn of the danger of installing inflammable materials, why manufacturers promoted such products with no regard to safety, why government regulations ignored the dangers and were not updated, and why politicians failed to ensure proper oversight.

Through the testimonies of bereaved residents, it explores how they were failed by the London Fire Brigade on the night and abandoned by the local authority in the chaos of the fire’s aftermath.

Leading the company and reprising his role as Lead Counsel to the Inquiry, Richard Millett QC is Olivier-nominee Ron Cook (Andor, Inside Number. 9, Mr Selfridge, The Witcher, Faith Healer and Girl from the North Country). Also returning are Derek Elroy (Leslie Thomas QC), Sally Giles (Kate Grange QC), David Michaels (Andy Roe/Nick Hurd) and Thomas Wheatley (Sir Martin Moore-Bick).

Joining them are Nicholas Chambers (Adrian Pargeter), Sophie Duval (Sarah Colwell), Tanveer Ghani (Imran Khan QC), Shahzad Ali (Hisam Chouciar), Madeleine Bowyer (Deborah French) and Howard Crossley (Eric Pickles). Further casting will be announced in due course.

Grenfell: System Failure has set design by Miki Jablkowska and Matt Eagland, lighting design by Matt Eagland, sound & video design by Andy Graham, costume design by Carly Brownbridge, casting by Amy Ball CDG with community liaison from Suresh Grover, and production photography by Beresford Hodge.

The piece follows on from Grenfell: Value Engineering which originally ran in 2021 at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before airing on Channel 4.

Richard Millett, the Inquiry’s main QC said: “Each and every one of the risks which eventuated at Grenfell Tower on that night were well known by many and ought to have been known by all who had any part to play. As a result, you will be able to conclude with confidence that each and every one of the deaths that occurred in Grenfell Tower on the 14 June 2017 were avoidable. The reasons were many, complex and, in many cases, inextricably interlinked.”

Nicolas Kent, Director and co-editor, added: “During the run of the previous play (Grenfell: Value Engineering) in October 2021, there was much pressure from the Grenfell community and audiences for us to complete the story of the final phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

“This second play: Grenfell: System Failure focuses on the vital questions of how the cladding/insulation manufacturers, the London Fire Brigade, government regulators & politicians could have averted this terrible fire, and how they failed the local community in the chaos of its aftermath.

“The plays complete an overview of the inquiry’s important work. The full inquiry report will be published late 2023 and its recommendations, if implemented, will hopefully prevent such a tragedy ever happening again.”

Richard Norton-Taylor, co-editor, commented: “The shocking testimony heard at the Grenfell Inquiry showed that the fire that killed 72 people, the deadliest residential conflagration since the Blitz, was wholly avoidable. It was the result of greed, complacency, implicit racism and a total lack of concern for the most vulnerable in British society.

“The disaster will have a devastating impact on the bereaved and residents of Grenfell Tower for a very long time. It also leaves many thousands of tenants and leaseholders living in high-rise buildings clad with similar flammable material deeply concerned about how they can make their homes safe.”

For more information and tickets, visit grenfellsystemfailure.com