Gimme Shelter

What our readers say

What is it like reading this play now?

The play’s portrayal of women and people of colour feels dated and unsettling today, making characters hard to empathise with. Key issues like judging students based on appearance, ableism, and class remain pertinent.

What does it tell us about the past and the present? 

What people accepted as normal behavior is much different to now, groping female colleagues, saying racist comments and physically abusing students are extreme now. However, we still experience class divides, we feel unlucky and targeted by the life gave us when we compare ourselves to those who are richer or smarter, in seemingly more powerful positions than us.

What films or music does it make you think of?

I do think of ‘American Psycho’ because of the men in the first part of the play, corporate colleagues who lack compassion. Music is at times suggested throughout the play and it does remind me of something old and classical rock like Smoke on the Water or like the title of the first part – ‘Gimme Shelter’ from the Rolling Stones.

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Dear England