Returning to the Edinburgh Fringe after co-directing the international sensation SIX: The Musical, Jamie Armitage writes and directs the world premiere of his tense and chilling debut play, An Interrogation.
Inspired by true events, and using live-stream cameras to manipulate the audience’s point of view, this thrilling and claustrophobic show cross-examines society’s preconceived ideas about the kinds of people who commit crimes.
A woman is missing. A man walks into a police station for a voluntary conversation with detectives. While Cameron Andrews might initially seem like the least likely person to be connected to a murder investigation, a different story begins to emerge moment by moment as he is questioned by an ambitious young detective.
An Interrogation is based on a real interview between Ontario Provincial Police Detective Staff Sergeant James Smith and a seemingly respectable man, Russell Williams. Inspired by this disturbing real-life case, Armitage’s play depicts an informal conversation between police and suspect which escalates to become an interrogation of power and class.
The production will explore how our perspective affects the way we interpret a moment: does someone seem more guilty or nervous when seen from a different angle?
Jamie Armitage comments, In the context of the current conversations around policing in Britain, I believe that the question of what a ‘good’ detective does within a disreputable system feels like a pertinent one to be examining. I wanted to look at different types of misuse of power – both institutional and personal – and how these interact. I have always loved bringing productions to the festival, and while this show is very different from the last time I came to the Fringe in 2018 with SIX: The Musical, I’m incredibly excited to be sharing work with festival audiences again.
The production marks the first collaboration between Tony Award-nominated Armitage and Ellie Keel, whose track record of producing new plays at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe includes the multi-award-winning shows SAP by Rafaella Marcus (Roundabout, 2022, followed by Soho Theatre and a national tour), Collapsible by Margaret Perry (HighTide Festival at Assembly, 2019, then Abbey Theatre Dublin and Bush Theatre), and HOTTER by Mary Higgins and Ell Potter (Underbelly, 2019, then Soho Theatre and tour). Keel is known for her prestigious slate of acclaimed new plays, which have included You Bury Me by Ahlam (Bristol Old Vic, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, and Orange Tree Theatre, London), Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me by Amy Trigg (Kiln Theatre and tour), Still No Idea by Lisa Hammond and Rachael Spence (Traverse Theatre, Southbank Centre and tour), and FITTER by Mary Higgins and Ell Potter (Soho Theatre). Keel is the Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting.
Ellie Keel comments, From the opening pages of Jamie’s debut play, I knew I was reading something very special. The plot and characters are brilliantly gripping and the twist is simply electric. I’ve been looking for a play like this for a long time and I’m delighted to be producing it in Edinburgh, where the audiences for new writing are both hungry and discerning.
