'Guantanamo Boy is painfully immersive...it is chilling, infuriating, frustrating and uncomfortable: it is necessary and it is a must-see'
Children's Theatre Reviews (2013)
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Rachana Jadhav’s clever set uses movable screens, sometimes diagonally across the corners of the playing space and sometimes bisecting the space to evoke prison bars...and there’s a great deal of deliberately very uncomfortable noise...this is intimate, almost televisual theatre and Khela is good as the distraught, anguished, terrified Khalid. ..there’s a great deal to admire in this show which asks very searching questions about human rights'
What'sonStage (2013)
"On 26th November, 57 year 10 pupils and three members of staff had the pleasure of watching this production at Burnley. We were blown away by the subject matter, but this was completely backed up with a very strong cast, incredible technical effects and the clever use of the set. The use of props were few, which made them all the more significant, the staging in such a small face seemed designed to make the audience uncomfortable. We also loved the contrast of naturalistic acting and stylised sections and the way the actors cleverly adapted to the multiple roles they played. The use of the white noise to show the passage of time, the soundtrack and the lighting box included in the scenes was very effective and the drowning scene using the sheets and the shadows was a gut wrenching moment. The piece was beautifully crafted from start to finish and for a school population that is predominantly white and middle class, I felt it was an incredible educational experience for my pupils. We were all moved and the workshop that dealt with the themes afterwards was also a great experience for the students"
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Sarah Bell - Drama Teacher Woodhey High School Burnley (2013)
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the effort you put into Saturday for us. The girls loved the production and were so delighted at having the opportunity to interview the author and the cast”
Catherine Finlay, Librarian, The Ursuline Academy Ilford (2013)
"Left me feeling very emotional, a disturbing thought provoking play, gave the other side of the story which doesn’t get said by the press”
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“Very thought provoking. It’s the second political piece that I’ve seen. It leaves me questioning so many issues.”
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We really enjoyed the effects and being so close to the actors. We felt we were part of their family.”
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“Amazingly staged for the area, found the storyline captivating and intense. Very impressed with the characters”
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“Great acting, would have paid more for the tickets”
Young audience feedback (2013)
A fast moving piece that packs a great deal into its hour playing time. Short on explanation, it doesn't seek to set out facts but uses detail to make things real...imaginatively mounted by director Dominic Hingorani and designer Rachana Jadhav, it is played with feeling'
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British Theatre Guide (2012)
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'The staging and performances are very fresh...Hingorani's multi media production is engagingly immersive. The detention scenes are nightmarish, but best of all are the earlier scenes evoking Khalid at home with Mum or dropping a beat or kicking a ball with a pal. In this context, the sweetly ordinary has at least as much power to move as the Kafakesque extraordinary'
Metro (2012)
“Guantanamo Boy is a wonderful piece of work and the use of the space and staging was very innovative. I know that most of my students have never seen anything like it and they were deeply moved by the performances. It was a very thought provoking piece and I know it inspired many of the girls”
Natalie Jim, Sarah Bonnell School (2012)
"I think this is fantastic! A really strong piece – very well acted with some lovely touches. I really hope you have a big hit on your hands here. Loved the back screen – and the scene with the computer game – that will really work for the older teen audience."
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Richard Scrivener Former publishing director of Penguin's Children's Division (2012)
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"When I saw the show I thought about my young nephew who is very hostile and angry towards the way that young Muslim men are being targeted and perceived as potential terrorists. This in turn is pushing him further towards a more hard line view of Islam. This play will enable an opportunity to explore, understand and debate for him."
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Abdul Shayek, Artistic Director of Youth of Creative Arts, Newham (2012)
