Guantanamo: documenting a real space?

This article is based on two aspects of the production of Guantanamo related to space, the exploration of which led to a further investigation into their importance for the reception of the play. One of the two is the striking contrast between the space portrayed in the play and the space in which this portrayal takes place. Even though this contrast might have been less dramatic in the Tricycle Theatre for which the play was written, it was extraordinarily powerful in the New Ambassador
where I saw it: sitting in the lush atmosphere of a West End theatre, few things could appear as alien as the wire cages modelled on those of Camp Delta in Guantanamo Bay. Whereas the audience reclined comfortably in their upholstered chairs and could admire the splendid decoration of the theatre, the stage was nearly bare with the exception of simple plank beds and the aforementioned wire structures. In itself, this visual incongruity made a strong impression, but this was heightened by
the knowledge about the living conditions in Camp Delta which frankly seemed incompatible with the comfort of such a theatre.