Harrowing play tells real life tales of people who…

Harrowing play tells real life tales of people who were deported

A play telling the real life stories of people affected by the Windrush Scandal is set to come to Liverpool.

Windrush: The Betrayal plays in the Capstone Theatre at Liverpool Hope University on October 22 and 23.

Telling the true stories of people subjected to deportation, detained, who lost their jobs, homes and dignity due to a controversial government policy known as the hostile environment. Former Prime Minister but then Home Secretary Theresa May said in 2012: "The aim is to create, here in Britain, a really hostile environment for illegal immigrants."

Writer, director Mark Grey of Agape Theatre told the ECHO: "We felt a great responsibility to tell the true story, because it was a true story. We were talking about people that are alive.

"People that are very much still part of society and the community. Knowing we were talking to people where it was their pain, their story we were telling on stage, it was very emotional.

Lloyd Reid playing an emotional Gladstone Wilson (Image: Mark Grey) (Mark Grey)

Mark added: "I heard about it in 2018 and after I started to put together the idea and do my research. I didn't want to create something with fictitious characters, I wanted it to be authentic.

"For me it was hard and harrowing, even when writing fiction the emotion does come to me. To be honest, once we got to the rehearsal room and the actors were reading the script for the first time and sometimes now, some are moved to tears.

“The audience have been moved to tears. It stirred up a lot of emotion".

Juliet Howat (left) playing officer at the Home Office and Yvonne Jeffrey, playing Janet MacKay in 'Windrush: The Betrayal' (Image: Mark Grey) (Mark Grey)

The controversial policy targeted mainly Caribbean people living in the UK legally having arrived travelling on their parents passports and granted indefinite leave under the 1971 Immigration Act. They were not issued documents to prove it and went to school and worked in the UK, some, for as many as 50 years.

The government destroyed landing cards which would have helped prove their legal stay. People were asked to prove their UK status with at least one document for each year they lived here, in some cases over a 50 year period.

Some were deported after decades here legally, lost their jobs and homes, despite winning their right to return or after being prevented from continuing their employment or claiming benefits. A task force formed in 2018 faced criticism for delays in righting the wrongs the policy inflicted on people's legal right to live in the UK.

Toxteth born Misie Goode (centre) playing Paulette Wilson (Image: Mark Grey) (Mark Grey)

Playing Paulette Wilson, Toxteth born actor Misie Goode said: "I'm honoured to keep the story of the Windrush generation alive and to share what happened to real people. It has been and continues to be a humbling experience.

"To be able to perform this in Liverpool is an added bonus. To be part of an awesome cast is truly amazing".