Reviews and Press
“Theatre at its best showing journalism at its best”
Timothy Ramsden, ReviewsGate for On The Record
Find out what else the press have been saying about On the Record
Sunday Times
‘As the phone-hacking scandal rumbles on, this reminder that journalism and integrity need not be mutually exclusive is something of a pick-me-up … The production … compresses a lot into 90 minutes as it lays out why the practice of investigative journalism matters’
The Times
‘This play by Christine Bacon and Noah Birksted-Breen is a tribute to the courage, compassion and tenacity of those who unearth and report stories of real significance, often at great personal risk. Partly based on interviews with journalists, and partly dramatised, it makes gripping theatre, in a production by Michael Longhurst that is at once succinct, shocking and wryly funny … Throughout, the acting is riveting, unflashy and full of conviction, while the stories the play tells are truly humbling.’
Financial Times
‘At a time when so much of the British press appears to have been involved in crimes and corruption rather than uncovering them, this is a sobering and heartening reminder of why journalism also matters in a positive way.
Evening Standard
Exeunt
Guardian
‘These people are fierce, proud and hearteningly optimistic. There are lovely performances, especially from Kika Markham as the fastidious Hass, and the overlapping tales are neatly handled by director Michael Longhurst.
Telegraph
Spectator ‘On the Record is ‘an excellent, timely and unsettling play … So many plays are just circus routines or museum pieces. This is a living, breathing piece of propaganda in the best sense. It jerks us from our complacency and argues, quietly but with overwhelming force, that liberal democracy is not inherent in any community’s gene code. It has to be replanted and refreshed by each new generation.’
Open Democracy ‘… a paeon to journalism as an act of conscience’
Metro “Warm and Witty”
The Stage : “Human rights theatre company Ice and Fire’s well-timed celebration of investigative journalism is a refreshing contrast to the daily reports of indiscriminate phone hacking recently in the news.” Download here
The British Theatre Guide: “The acting in On The Record is impeccable throughout. Each performer gives a small masterclass in acting …The script by Christine Bacon and Noah Birksted-Breen is well paced and informative” Download here
A Younger Theatre: “I only have one word for its show On The Record: phenomenal.”
The Public Review (4.5 Stars) : “The most impressive thing of all is how this play teeters along the line between candour and good taste, showing us horrifying video images to shake us out of our comfortable, democratic cocoon without needing to push so hard that it feels like shock tactics. I often had goosebumps, and at times a lump in my throat, but mostly I felt in awe, and with a desire to find out more” Download here
ReviewsGate: “Theatre at its best showing journalism at its best…Michael Longhurst’s direction is exemplary… leaving the floor to six fine actors who embody their characters’ different manners and inhabit their sense of purpose without any sense of forcing personality or pleading a case...Christine Bacon, Noah Birkstead-Breen and Ice and Fire theatre’s production ensure a gripping, revelatory event” Download here
Editorials and Articles about On the Record include
The Committee to Protect Journalists interview co-writer and iceandfire Artistic Director, Christine Bacon about the background to the piece.
The Hackney Citizen, Dying to Tell The Truth: “A reminder of the debt we owe journalists who risk their lives to expose wrongdoing around the world, [On the Record] is a must-see for anyone who cares about freedom and justice.”
Piccadilly Fox chats to co-writer Noah Birksted-Breen about the writing process and how the concept evolved
To download our Press Release for On The Record please click here