Sus
September- October 2022
As relevant today as the day it was first performed, SUS is a furnace of a play that sears into the memory of those who experience it.
Set on the election night of Margaret Thatcher’s 1979 landslide victory, Delroy, a young black father, is brought into an East London Police Station on what he thinks is SUS - suspect under suspicion - the law now commonly known as Stop and Search.
Unbeknownst to him, Karn and Wilby, two white male police detectives, are tasked with drawing a confession from him for an unspeakable crime and go about it in the most brutal of ways. As the election results come in, Karn, the older of the two, is elated at the prospect of a ‘new dawn’, while Delroy is subject to the abuse and horrors of an institution oozing with racism, misogyny, corruption and brutal violence.
Keeffe's timeless play will have you questioning innocence and guilt, the nature of power and the intents of those who wield it; forty years on you'll be left asking: has anything really changed?
Dilated Theatre's inaugural production ran at the Lion and Unicorn in March of 2013 to rave reviews. Nearly ten years on, SUS is being revived at a time when it couldn't be more pertinent.
Production Information
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21st - 22nd September 2022
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22nd September 2022
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23rd September- 15th October 2022
Park 90, Park Theatre
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Production Manager/ DSM
Reviews for Sus
'Text, staging and cast all have to be in perfect symbiosis... the entire team have indisputably achieved that'
- ★★★★ The Stage
'Exceptional truthful performances, creating palpable tension and sorrow'
- ★★★★★ A Youngish Perspective
'SUS is a scream of rage, as relevant now as it was when it was written in 1979. This revival is excellent'
- ★★★★ Everything Theatre
'Powerful acting resulting in a nerve-wracking experience that deserves to be remembered
- ★★★★ The Upcoming
'Cabey as Delroy plays a full range of emotions, and the tears and anger seem to flow naturally in a superb performance'
- ★★★★ North West End
'This stunning revival of Keeffe’s coruscating drama about institutional racism would be a sobering period piece in an ideal world'
- ★★★★ Fairy Powered Productions
'Harrowing police racism drama more relevant than ever' - The Guardian
'Sharp and shocking'- The Reviews Hub
'The story makes us stop and reflect on what has changed in the intervening 43 years'
- Islington Citizen
'A confident, very timely, well performed production' - British Theatre Guide
Cast
DS Karn:
DC Wilby:
Leon Delroy:
Alexander Neal
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Fergal Coghlan
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Stedroy Cabey
Creative Team
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Paul Tomlinson
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Kevin Kamara
Jamie Platt
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Phil Matajeskic​
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Lee Newby
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Carrie Croft
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Alexander Neal,
Fergal Coghlan,
Kevin Kamara and
Mischa Alexander
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Clare Langford and
Rupert Holloway
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Marshall Stay
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Charlie Flint