St John's Church
17 - 23 Aug, 4:00pm (5:00pm)

Here's something you don't see much at the modern Fringe: a piece of serious, committed, meaningful political theatre.  Produced with the support of pressure group Reprieve, Rendition Monologues tackles one of the murkiest and most controversial issues of our time: the acknowledged practice of transferring prisoners, outside of legal process, for interrogation overseas.

Performed in the august setting of St John's Church, the play dramatizes the first-hand accounts of four men who've experienced this so-called "extraordinary rendition".  Best-known among them is Binyam Mohamed - a British resident arrested in Pakistan but interrogated in Morocco, ending his journey in American custody at Guantanamo Bay.  Ultimately released without charge, his subsequent allegations of British collusion in torture have been met with a mix of scepticism and support.  The debate's been stoked by a much-discussed decision from the High Court in London - preventing disclosure of evidence in his case through concerns over national security.

The Bush administration freely acknowledged that extraordinary rendition occurred, but the claims of torture are strongly denied.  Rendition Monologues doesn't claim to be a balanced treatment of this complex and controversial issue - and we're obliged to remark that any drama based on one man's account is necessarily missing half of the story.  But whatever your views, and whatever the truth, we wholeheartedly support this responsibly-pitched attempt to bring political activism to the Fringe.  If you have an opinion, go and debate: a representative from Reprieve will take questions after each performance.