9th - 13th September
Value Engineering: Scenes from the Grenfell Inquiry
by Richard Norton-Taylor with Nicholas Kent
directed by Mike Fahie-Wilson
A gripping real life drama set at the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire in which 72 residents died in June 2017.
‘Value Engineering’ is a term used in the building industry to describe a process whereby the cost of a project is minimised without reducing quality. In the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower ‘value engineering’ resulted in a cost saving of £300,000 by changing the specification from a non-flammable zinc rainscreen for the exterior of the tower to an aluminium product with a highly flammable polyethylene core.
The play is a contemporary political drama made entirely from spoken evidence given under oath to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry between November 2017 and March 2021 in a process that's estimated to have cost well over £1 billion. The evidence presented in the play is principally concerned with the cause of the fire, decisions surrounding the refurbishment of the tower, compliance with building regulations and the response of the London Fire Brigade. The evidence inevitably raises questions – who was responsible for this tragedy and why, seven years later, has no-one been charged with wrongdoing?
Sir Martin Moore-Bick, Chairman - Mike Fahie-Wilson
Richard Millett QC - Neil Arbon
Kate Grange QC - Annie Eddington
Luke Bisby, expert witness - Andy Smith
David Badillo, London Fire Brigade Firefighter - Darryl Crawley
Barbara Lane, expert witness - Sara Knight
Sarah Russell, London Fire Brigade Control Room Officer - Natasha Goldberg
Stephanie Barwise, QC for bereaved, survivors, residents of Grenfell Tower - Anthea Halstead
Bruce Sounes, Architect, Studio E - Tom Eddington
Simon Lawrence, Contracts Manager - Dave Hossack
Leslie Thomas QC, for bereaved, survivors, residents of Grenfell Tower - Tim Smith
Ray Bailey, director Harley Curtain Wall - Clive Clark
John Hoban, Senior Building Control Officer RBKC - Peter Drew
Jonathan Roper, Product Manager Celotex - Tom Eddington
Deborah French, UK Sales Manager Arconic - Lynne Tabone
David Gibson, Head of Capital Investment RBKC TMO - Andy Smith
Claire Williams, Project Manager RBKC TMO - Fiona Haskell
Peter Maddison, Director Assets and Regeneration RBKC TMO - Tim Smith
Michael Mansfield QC - for bereaved, survivors, residents Grenfell Tower - Peter Drew
(NB: Sir Martin Moore-Bick was originally to be played by Richard Fawcett but unfortunately due to illness he has had to withdraw)