Grenfell: in the words of survivors

'It was a tower block, but it was home.'

The early hours of Wednesday 14 June 2017. The north-west corner of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. A twenty-four-storey residential tower. The scene of a national tragedy.

This powerful verbatim play is drawn from the testimony of residents – a group of survivors and bereaved – at the heart of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. It reveals the impact of the multiple failures that led to the most devastating residential fire in the UK since the Second World War, and asks: how do we stop this ever happening again?

Startling, urgent and deeply moving, Grenfell: in the words of survivors explores the courage and resilience of an ill-treated community and their continued campaign for justice.

Created from interviews by Gillian Slovo, the play was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in July 2023, co-directed by Phyllida Lloyd and Anthony Simpson-Pike.

10% of the net proceeds from sales of this book will be donated by the publisher to the Grenfell Foundation, who support the bereaved and survivors in the aftermath of the fire, as well as help them ensure Grenfell is remembered long into the future.

'Moving, heartfelt and important... a powerful piece of verbatim theatre that demands empathy, not sympathy'— Evening Standard

'An engulfing experience... harrowing but not sensational... Slovo's play is new and important. It is not only that she uses the words of survivors; it's that they are her collaborators. The result is an inquiry of the best sort – the most humane kind – on stage'— Observer

'A tour de force... deeply humane... infinitely more meaningful than dispassionate news footage... a tremendous piece of theatre'— Time Out

'Gripping... shocking... piles up devastating detail... an ensemble masterpiece'— Guardian

'Powerful'— Telegraph

'A visceral insight into a human tragedy'— The Times

'A powerful and necessary polemic... The details clutch at the throat and the heart... an urgent call to arms'— The Stage

'Moving, heartfelt and important... a powerful piece of verbatim theatre that demands empathy, not sympathy'

'An engulfing experience... harrowing but not sensational... Slovo's play is new and important. It is not only that she uses the words of survivors; it's that they are her collaborators. The result is an inquiry of the best sort – the most humane kind – on stage'

'A tour de force... deeply humane... infinitely more meaningful than dispassionate news footage... a tremendous piece of theatre'

'Gripping... shocking... piles up devastating detail... an ensemble masterpiece'

'Powerful'

'A visceral insight into a human tragedy'

'A powerful and necessary polemic... The details clutch at the throat and the heart... an urgent call to arms'

'Powerful and harrowing... But alongside the anger, there is love'

'Devastating'

'Terrifying'

'A masterpiece... verbatim theatre delivered to wrenching effect... The details are indelible'

'Short, powerful, and fully relevant to current Britain... verbatim theatre at its best... a valuable resource for older students who wish to learn to use a verbatim approach for their own devised examination performances'

Gillian Slovo is a South African born novelist, playwright and memoirist. Her work for the theatre includes Grenfell: in the words of survivors (National Theatre, London, 2023), a verbatim play from the testimony of residents at the heart of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

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