Murmuring Judges

“Oh God, let me not give in to hope.”

The second instalment in David Hare’s critically acclaimed trilogy of British institutions, ‘Murmuring Judges’ takes a look at the inner workings of a bleak justice system. Our prisons are full. Our police don’t care. And our judges don’t listen.

Gerard McKinnon, a young and struggling father of two, is sentenced to 5 years in prison and left to rot. As the rest of the world keeps turning, only junior barrister Irina Platt dares to question the judge’s decision. As alibis unravel and tensions rise, Gerard and Irina find themselves confronting the true nature of the law: distanced, disillusioned and disinterested. ‘Murmuring Judges’ still resonates today as a brutal portrayal of privilege, patriarchal society and punishment without purpose.

“It seems obvious to an outsider. All this behaviour, the honours, the huge sums of money, the buildings, the absurd dressing up. They do have a purpose. It’s anaesthetic. It’s to render you incapable of imagining life the other way around.”

(Text from Camdram)

For this photoshoot Will Bishop, Kate Reid and Joe Shalom joined me at St John’s College. Our first location was the college bike storage unit which was the closest thing to a prison that we could find. With the help of Kate’s all access card, we got through the big metal gates and into our prison.

It was great fun! Keep your eyes out for this play which has an amazing cast and crew!

— Johannes

Reviews: Varsity 4.5/5, TCS (9/10), The Tab (4.5/5)

Cast
Gerard – Joe Shalom
Irina – Kate Reid
Sir Peter – Tom Chamberlain
Woody – Emma Blacklay-Piech
Cuddeford/Dave – Harrison MacNeill
Home Secretary/Lester – Sam Knights
Barry – Jack Parham
Jimmy – Gabriel Agranoff
Sandra – Sophia Flohr
Esther – Sarah Creedy Smith
Toby/Nelson – Benedict Flett
Keith/Jason – Ben Martineau
Beckett – Hannah Sands

Production Team
Director – Will Bishop
Assistant Director – Riss Obolensky, Rebecca Vaa
Co-Producer – Katurah Morrish, Kaiti Soultana
Publicity Designer – Yue Pan
Stage Manager – Rose Payne
Cinematographer – Nicholas Hulbert
Deputy Stage Manager – Saskia Baylis
Master Carpenter – Toby Molyneux
Sound Designer – Emily Galvin
Assistant Stage Manager – Vicky Vanderstichele
Lighting Designer – Johnny King
Photographer – Johannes Hjorth