Lawrence Inquiry Reconstructed at Tricycle
Date: 6 January 1999
A controversial new play dramatising the inquiry into the Stephen Lawrence murder opens this week at the fringe Tricycle Theatre in north London. The Colour of Justice, which runs 6 January to 6 February, coincides with the publication of the findings of last year's inquiry. As no television cameras were allowed in the courtroom, the play provides a rare opportunity to view the legal proceedings and assess the evidence behind the racially motivated murder.
Eighteen-year-old Stephen was murdered near a London bus stop in April 1993 by a group of white youths who shouted 'nigger' before attacking him. Five youths were charged with the murder but no conviction was ever made.
The Colour of Justice is a reconstruction of the major events in the six-month inquiry, which also revealed the police force's racial prejudice and substantial bungling of the case. The play has been edited by Richard Norton-Taylor and directed by Nicolas Kent with Surian Fletcher-Jones. This is the team's fourth collaboration of this kind. Their previous reconstructions are Half the Picture (The Scott Arms to Iraq Inquiry), Nuremberg and Srebrenica, all presented at the Tricycle Theatre.
Panel discussions will be held after performances on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays during the month-long run. Panel participants will include Michael Mansfield QC, Ken Livingstone MP, Peter Bottomley MP, newscaster Trevor Phillips, journalist Paul Foot and playwright Tariq Ali.
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