Desert

'Desert' by MolinoGroup, The Bike Shed Theatre

This was an interesting play to watch as, for me at least, it acted more as a launching platform to find out more about the Bradley Manning case than a conventional self-contained-story.

Desert was premiered last year at the Bike Shed, it has returned with an updated version as Manning has now spent over 1000 days in pre-trial detention and should be put on trial properly next month.

I know very little about the Manning case, the same as our narrator at the beginning of the play. We then follow her progress as she delves into the information available, tracing Manning's actions and talking to him about why he leaking classified US army intelligence. The story blends real-life transcripts and video with imagined scenes. I'm not sure if its an advantage or not that for some scenes I'm not sure if they were recreations of real events or fictitious. From their portrayal Manning doesn't seem particularly likeable, he seems awkward and a bit messed-up, but he is intriguing and as the narrator weaves her way through the story its clear that no-one is quite sure where it will end up.

It's a play that really gets you thinking - why did he have that much access to sensitive information? Was Lamo justified in turning him in? And most importantly, what would you have done in Manning's place?

****

Desert continues until Saturday, 7.30pm each evening. Tickets £7-10