A harrowing depiction of the Roboski massacre, 2011, in which 34 civilians were killed by an airstrike from the Turkish military, near the Turkish-Iraqi border.

There is no such thing as a happy colonised people. Never has been and never will be. That is our basic delusion. December 2011. Watching video footage from a drone, Pentagon officials see a huddle of people – unarmed smugglers, with mules – treading their familiar path across the Turkish-Iraqi border. Hours later, Turkish Armed Forces drop bombs on the group. 34 civilians are killed. The Roboski massacre is one of the most controversial episodes in the ‘war on terror’. Piecing together the fragments of the tragedy, Anders Lustgarten’s startling new play dares to ask what a massacre is made of. Shrapnel is a story of malicious commands and mournful commemorations; an urgent, powerful insight into the state of modern warfare. This edition was published to coincide with the UK premiere at the Arcola Theatre, London, on 11 March 2015.

"Anders Lustgarten is the most internationally minded dramatist working in Britain today. . . . short, sharp play . . . the play makes its point with a controlled ferocity. Lustgarten works like a movie-maker." - Guardian

"Anders Lustgarten provides succinct and intelligent dialogue. Every line has power. . . . the structure of Shrapnel is neat, and the content is well-controlled." - Upcoming

"A fiery new work . . . provocative" - Time Out London