Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal Writers have again specially written three short plays with relevant themes to be performed to raise funds for Freedom from Torture.

‘IN THE NAME OF LIBERTY’ by Art Tanner

This play is set in Paris 1791. How far is lawyer Delfosse willing to go to please Deputy Robespierre?

‘FRACTURED FRIENDS’ by Thelma Quince

Based loosely on events in Kyrgyzstan, but all too common elsewhere, ‘Fractured Friends’ is concerned with how historic and irrelevant prejudices can fracture relationships between people who have lived, worked and loved together resulting in torture and death.

‘EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION’ by Richard Stainer

‘An Extraordinary Rendition’ was written in response to the way the word ‘torture’ is rendered into euphemisms, by the American and British governments when they are responsible for it. Bitter humour seems an appropriate response to the appalling suffering meted out in our name.

Special guest speakers will be

Ruth Rendell CBE, a Patron of Freedom from Torture and former Suffolk resident (Pakenham 1 November)

Louis de Bernieres, who lives in Norfolk and who has written six novels and more recently a collection of poetry (Bury St Edmunds 8 November)

Tickets: £10 obtainable from Brian Wesley 01284-705792 orbwesley@btinternet.com