During the first years of the Iraq War [2003 - 2011], playwright Adrian Page and director Matthew Hahn created 'ripped from the headlines' theatre, driven by contempt for the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ leaders whose drive to war was on the basis of dubious and misleading intelligence.
With a heavy heart - but little surprise - we find ourselves in a not dissimilar moment today. Once again, the language of urgency, fear and moral certainty dominates political discourse. Against this backdrop, Hahn returns to the work that first gave voice to these concerns remounting a selection of the most relevant pieces of subVERSE.
Event Details:
Dates: 1 May 2026
Time: 7pm
Location: kollectiv gallery, 69 The Old High Street, Folkestone
Tickets: £10 donation. Profits from ticket sales will be split between the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office [formerly DFID, the Department for International Development] and United States Agency for International Development [USAID] to help offset their recent swingeing cuts [in the UK] and the closure [in the US] due to shifting political priorities under Keir Starmer and Donald Trump:
The UK reduced its aid spending from 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) to 0.5% in 2021, a cut of roughly £4–5 billion annually, with only partial restoration since.
The Trump administration shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025.
Against this backdrop, subVERSE aims to provide a supplementary funding stream to support international development efforts and help stabilize resources for critical global programmes.
By directly supporting these agencies, subVERSE hopes to amplify the absurdity and short sightedness of both progammes' cuts and the vital role they both play to safeguard global progress against political and economic uncertainty.
Press from 2006:
'In its critique of the modern political and social landscape, subVERSE renders oft-used critical superlatives like "brilliant" and "remarkable" hollow.'
*****British Theatre Guide
‘Hip, engaging, hard hitting and thought provoking, the key to subVERSE is that each show explores the human consequences of current world events…These writers are asking their audiences to think about the world they live in and they are not afraid to take risks.’
Writer's Net
'This is a cracking piece of political theatre, which is both hard hitting and thought provoking. The acting from all members of the cast is superb... This is political satire as it should be'
***** Edinburgh Fringe bible Three Weeks
Statements warning of imminent nuclear threats, coupled with inflammatory characterisations of entire nations, echo earlier justifications for war. And although UK leadership is much more wary this time around [‘I will be with you, whatever,’ said British Prime Minister (and War Criminal) Tony Blair], the drumbeats of war are never far off.
The parallels between then and now extend beyond policy into ideology. Bush once described the “War on Terror” as a “crusade,” invoking a troubling fusion of politics and religious framing. Today, similarly charged narratives persist, with some voices casting geopolitical conflict in explicitly theological terms [‘The Iran war is part of God’s plan and President Donald Trump was anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark His return to Earth.’] portraying it as part of a divine plan, or framing political leaders as chosen instruments of prophecy.
