These past two years, the English Theatre Company went through turbulent times. Plays were rehearsed, premieres were imminent, and then performances and eventually entire productions were cancelled. But most students persevered and stayed on board. They now put on a play that was all the more impressive and required a lot of personal engagement.
“Extremism”, a work by the British author and political activist Anders Lustgarten, is a text about fear, friendship, creeping polarisation and terrorism. It addresses above all the question of how to prevent the increasing radicalisation of young people. “Extremism” goes to the heart of the matter, the experimental set-up and the school class are like a biotope of our society. The play addresses the question of what happens when people are suddenly under general suspicion because of their affiliation to a country, religious belief or their personal conviction. The protagonists get caught in a spiral of suspicion, fear, accusations and violence.
The plot develops rather unspectacularly. A fellow pupil is arrested by a police anti-terrorism unit for suspicion of radicalisation. The teacher has left the room to speak to the police officers. Unsupervised, the students start speculating about Jamal, the suspect. Little by little, suspicions rise, accusations culminate in racism and there is massive bullying. The voices of the few sensible students are drowned out.
The ten students of the English Theatre Company gave a great ensemble performance. Every role was well casted and played. The audience was mesmerised by the incredibly dense play. The young actors showed full commitment, undivided concentration and the power of persuasion – one could only marvel. For this strong performance, the entire cast deserved a great round of applause.
