anna

The formidable Badac Theatre Company have created a brutal call to arms in Politkovskaya’s memory… Its brutal, unrelenting punches make the price of truth harrowingly clear

Fest ****

‘frontline theatre in a war for truth’

Exeunt Magazine

Anna

Reviews Page - Gallery Page

Anna was created by Badac to celebrate…

the life and work of the incredible Russian journalist/writer Anna Politkovskaya and to highlight the dangers faced by her fellow journalists across the world as they battle to highlight injustice.

This is what I do. This. I listen to the pain. I feel the pain. I write about the pain. I meet witnesses. Victims. Perpetrators. I meet them. They share with me. Their stories. Their experiences. Their horrors. They share with me. And I share with you. Through my writing. I share with you - Anna

Originally set in a corridor and around a lift (at Summerhall during the Edinburgh Festival), the location of her death, this immersive piece follows the life, work and assassination of Anna whilst exploring her exposure of human rights abuses committed during the second Russian/Chechnya war and its aftermath, and her criticism of the increasingly autocratic nature with which Russia was being governed. The drama features specific events that Anna reported on while recreating some of the horrors she faced in her pursuit of justice .

My son. Alexander. Did not commit suicide. He did not hang himself. He did not hang himself. My son. Alexander. Was tortured. Tortured. He died because he was tortured - Witness

The piece is designed to be claustrophobic for audience members with the actors speaking directly to them. They are not voyeurs they are participants. They are the subject of Anna’s frustration, anger, pleading and decisions are demanded of them. When performed within a corridor there is no seating and no distance between audience and cast members, as such the relationship that is formed is intimate intense visceral and brutal

We have been abandoned. The government wants all of us to die. All the hostages to die. They will sacrifice us. So that they can begin another offensive. So they can cause more carnage. They will sacrifice us - Hostage (Nord Ost)

Anna aims to lead the audience through Politkovskaya’s tortured, and ultimately fatal, journey. An incredibly brave woman who refused to be silenced in her battle to attain justice for the victims of torture and murder, and who, up until the moment of her brutal murder was striving to give a voice to those victims. Hers is a story that demands to be told.

No. No. You won't. You won't. I am Politkovskaya. I am Politkovskaya. A journalist. A journalist. You will not destroy me. You will not…….. I am a journalist. A journalist. You will not stop me. You will not stop me - Anna

The piece also, through the telling of Anna’s story, focuses on the continued persecution, imprisonment, torture and murder of journalists from all areas of the world as they strive to bring human rights abuses to the attention of the public, along with highlighting our apathy as audiences when listening, watching or reading the reports of these journalists.

If you are interested in booking the piece or would like more information then please mail Steve Lambert via our company contact page.

Original Edinburgh Festival Cast:

Marnie Baxter. Saskia Schuck. Joe Gooch. Nathan Thompson. Steve Lambert

Writer/Director: Steve Lambert

badac

As Anna comes to its inevitable, shuddering conclusion, one cannot deny the skill and commitment of Badac… Scottish actress Marnie Baxter, heart-burstingly powerful in the title role

Sunday Herald