'History always ripples on. Even if we don't realise it.'
In the Downing Street Press Office an emergency meeting has been called. The Prime Minister has been ad-libbing on live TV (again) and his words are going viral.
There is a flurry of accusations, and demands for an apology; but as his team debate what to do next, it's already too late. His words have found their way to dinner parties, bus journeys and newspaper columns across the nation – and not everyone is angry.
Rabiah Hussain's play Word-Play explores how language seeps into public consciousness and reverberates with far-reaching consequences that will last for generations. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, in July 2023, directed by Nimmo Ismail.
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'A fascinating new play exploring the insidious potential of bland language... skewers a particularly British kind of bigotry... there's so much about this play that'll stick in your throat: a reminder that words can wound, however bland they might sound'
" - Time Out
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'Playful, thoughtful, and deliciously up-to-the-minute... Often hilarious, sometimes moving, this play about how words matter has a cumulative power'
" - Evening Standard
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'Amusing and boldly, excitingly experimental... Hussain's script shines in sudden moments of lyrical outrage'
" - Guardian
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'Audacious, incisive and emotive'
" - The Upcoming
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'A turbo-charged lesson in minding your language... thought-provoking and explosive'
" - Metro
