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5 years on…

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Five years ago this morning, Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by armed police as he sat on an underground train at Stockwell station.

No individual has yet been held responsible for his death, or for the cover-up that took place afterwards.

To visit the website of the Justice for Jean campaign, click here.

In the aftermath of the killing, the media reported stories of a man jumping over barriers, carrying a rucksack, wires trailing from his coat. How and why this might have happened is explored in Steven Lally’s play Oh Well Never Mind Bye, which Upstart produced at the Union Theatre in 2009 and are planning to tour in 2011. To find out more about Oh Well Never Mind Bye, click here. To find out more about the 22nd July Project, Upstart’s long-standing theatrical response to Jean’s death, click here.

ADDENDUM:

It’s just been announced that no police officer will face charges for the death of Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper vendor who died after being struck by an officer during the G20 protests in April 2009. For more information, click here.

Posted in 22nd July Project, Blog, Front Page, News, Oh Well Never Mind Bye | No Comments »

vBlog – De Menezes family unveil permanent memorial at Stockwell

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Yesterday, the family of Jean Charles de Menezes unveiled a permanent memorial outside Stockwell underground station. Jean Charles, a Brazilian electrician, was shot dead at the station by armed police officers on 22nd July 2005.

Vivian Figueiredo, Jean’s cousin, said on behalf of the family:

Jean Charles was not the first person to be killed unjustly by the police and he won’t be the last. But we hope that through our campaign, we have raised awareness of the importance of police accoutability and how families should always be told the truth about how their loved one has died. To this day, not a single police officer has been disciplined or punished in any way for the deliberate shooting of an innocent man and the cover-up that followed. This is a public scandal and this memorial stands testament to that.

The memorial replaces the “shrine” to Jean’s memory which had been created and maintained by members of the public alongside Jean’s family since the immediate aftermath of his death in 2005.

 

All Podcast Material Copyright Upstart Theatre

Posted in 22nd July Project, Blog, News, Oh Well Never Mind Bye, Podcasts, Video Blogs | No Comments »

An email to Brazil

Friday, November 20th, 2009
George (Charlotte Flintham) and Charlotte (Susanna Fiore)

Following this debate on the Guardian theatre blog, a Brazilian journalist wrote to me asking some questions about Oh Well Never Mind Bye. I thought I’d post my responses here as they might be of interest! (more…)

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Oh Well Never Mind Bye – a new play by Steven Lally

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

blood-and-paper

“They should know that people are forcing us to take sides. That our paper is susceptible to whichever pressure group shouts the loudest, to the point where it changes facts and stops us doing our jobs”

21 July 2005. James Fisher’s news team are struggling to report the day’s events in time to meet their evening deadline. When police marksmen shoot a man dead at Stockwell underground station the next morning, the team are caught between the need to report the truth and a combination of political pressure, professional rivalry, and personal resentment.

Steven Lally’s compelling and biting new play explores the conflict between integrity and success in the modern media, against the background of the events of July 2005.

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16 June – 4 July
Union Theatre, 204 Union Street, London SE1 0LX
Tues-Sat 7.30pm
Tickets £12 full/£10 concessions
Gala Night Saturday 20 June – call Box Office for info

Box Office 020 7261 9876

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Praise for Upstart’s previous productions:

“Superbly physically directed and frequently hilarious…this is an unfairly talented ensemble” **** EdinburghGuide.com on Meat

“Powerful…visceral and very human” The Stage on Chickpea Sickday Picasso Sabotage

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Click here to find out more

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Posted in 22nd July Project, Oh Well Never Mind Bye | No Comments »

Call for Actors : Oh Well Never Mind Bye by Steven Lally

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

Call for Actors

Oh Well Never Mind Bye by Steven Lally

Upstart Theatre (“an unfairly talented ensemble”, EdinburghGuide.com) will be presenting the world premiere of Oh Well Never Mind Bye by Steven Lally at the Union Theatre from Tuesday 16 June 2009 to Saturday 4 July 2009 at 7.30pm, with rehearsals beginning on Monday 1 June.

The power of the media – and the challenges for individuals struggling to use their influence with responsibility and integrity – are the subject of this compelling and biting new play.

Oh Well Never Mind Bye depicts a newsroom struggling to accurately report real-life events against a backdrop of the political panic of July 2005. In the aftermath of the London bombings, Charlotte, George, Fin and James are pushing to meet deadlines in the increasingly demanding world of 24 hour news. When the Metropolitan police shoot dead a man at Stockwell tube station, the characters’ professional and personal lives are thrown into conflict by rivalry, political manoeuvring, resentment and outside pressure.

We are looking for 2 actors to join the 2 actors already cast.

George, playing age 23, blonde, female. Standard English accent, perhaps with a slight regional tint.

George is the newspaper’s newest and most junior reporter. She’s intelligent and driven, and while sometimes appearing naive and idealistic is more than capable of holding her own in the high-pressure atmosphere of the newsroom. She is determined to do her job right – but as the play goes on she discovers that this involves continuous compromise between her principles and the need to keep her job.

James, playing age 35-40, male.

The head of the news team, James is tough, commanding and ruthless. James has made a compromise between his principles and his career – and will do whatever is necessary to keep his job, even if this involves failing to report the news as accurately as he knows he could. James is unafraid to bully and intimidate junior staff in order to get his way.

For further information, contact Tom Mansfield on tom@upstart-theatre.co.uk.

Regrettably, Upstart can only cover travel expenses for the five weeks.

Posted in 22nd July Project, General | No Comments »

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