#WeAreArrested

Can Dundar is a Turkish journalist, now exiled and living in Germany, who was arrested after publishing an article which disclosed information about Turkish covert aid to Syrian insurgents, an act, which the Turkish government treated as a disclosure of State secrets. Dundar’s subsequent arrest and imprisonment form the basis of this superb adaptation, by Pippa Hill and Sophie Ivatts, of Dundar’s memoir of that experience. It is a powerful re-creation of choices and consequences in a stark setting which reflects the spirit of Dundar’s experience,
This is essentially a one-man show - there are supporting roles, but they are very secondary to the main dramatic movement which is led superbly by Peter Dyer as Dundar. This adaptation gives him wonderful material to work with – both concise and poetic at the same time, ably projecting the narrative of Dundar’s experience.

Although this is Dundar’s personal story, the narrative is presented in a generalized way which broadens the impact and resonance of the issues. Any journalist who is in a decision-making role in relation to a controversial topic and its publication and possible consequences for himself and others, becomes the subject as well. Peter Dyer gives an engaging and powerful performance as Dundar and is ably supported by the cast – but the show is essentially a solo feat and Dyer succeeds in getting the various nuances of Dundar’s character and of the situation across, aided by the superb adaptation of Dundar’s memoir – it’s a thought-provoking evening.