The Domestic Extremists

Theatre Premier Artwork

Artwork for London theatre premier. Following the London riots of 2011, the media began to be aware of the term ‘domestic extremist’, which had been coined by the Metropolitan Police, ostensibly to describe people it was watching in the interest of national security. What it actually turned out to mean was, of course, terrorists, but also pretty much anyone who had ever been to a rally or protest, any outspoken journalist they fancied, anyone who had been a member of the Met’s official watchdog, or basically anyone who had ever demonstrated a political opinion in public.

In Dan Davies’s new play at The Space, the domestic extremists are student groups protesting against the six-grand hike in tuition fees that this government has seen in, and the selling-off of their education to callous international corporations. Chloe, a young filmmaker, pitches a film about the protests to jaded TV commissioner Christopher, and the film eventually emerges – mangled into a very different shape from how it looked in Chloe’s pitch portfolio by the pressures of dollar-eyed TV bosses. The film, however, is not the only thing to come out of the TV mangle looking remarkably different, as Chloe and Christopher face the unholy balance of truthful reporting and rating figures.

Directed by Ben Borowiecki
Co producers – Mark Lindow & Judith Durkin
Written & produced by Dan Davies