COMING to the Canberra Theatre Centre next week is the last thing expected in the wake of recent events in Christchurch — a show seemingly written from the perspective of Osama Bin Laden.

The tour of “Bin Laden: The One Man Show” by British company Knaïve Theatre follows a USA tour and run at the Edinburgh Fringe.

In reality, theatre staff say: “This work is a push against islamophobia… It seeks to highlight the nuance in a narrative that we’ve only been provided one perspective on.”

The play asks audiences to walk into the theatre with an open mind and take the opportunity to meet one of the world’s most notorious figures, not as a monster, but as a person telling about his life, his family, his hopes and as the leader of Al Qaeda, his dreams of changing the world.

There is no attempt on the part of blond English actor Sam Redway to make up as the late Bin Laden and that choice is a conscious one, meant to disarm audience members and give them the space to see Bin Laden as an individual, irrespective of his religious or racial identity.

After each show the writer-director, Tyrrell Jones, will facilitate a debate with the audience.

“Bin Laden: The One Man Show”, at The Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre, March 26-30. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

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