An award-winning theatre company is creating a play exploring multiculturalism in Bradford, based on interviews with people in the city.

DV8 Physical Theatre is focusing on events from the 1980s onwards and would like to hear from people involved with events such as the Ray Honeyford affair, the book-burnings of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses and the 2001 Manningham riots and aftermath.

“We’re looking at issues of multiculturalism and free speech and examining the history of social policies that started in Bradford in the 1980s,” said artistic director Lloyd Newson.

“This will be a verbatim play, using recorded interviews and archive footage. We’re incorporating stories from people involved in events surrounding multicultural policies.”

The theatre company has been collecting first-hand accounts from people including former Lord Mayor of Bradford, Mohammed Ajeeb, former Keighley MP Ann Cryer and former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, Lord Herman Ouseley who chaired the 2001 Community Pride Not Prejudice review.

The company has also spoken to the wife of Ray Honeyford, forced to quit his job as headteacher of Drummond Middle School in 1985 after making controversial comments about race relations.

“In particular we’re trying to trace members of the Drummond Parents Action Committee from 1984/5, especially its chairman Jenny Woodward, Mohammed Iqbal Ansari, whose children attended the school during the protests, and Graham Mahony, also known as GV Mahony, who wrote an appendix to Lord Ouseley’s report in 2001,” said Mr Newson.

“We’re hoping the Telegraph & Argus will be able to help in our search for some of the key individuals who want their experiences of multiculturalism in Bradford to contribute to this ongoing debate.”

The as-yet-untitled production is set to premiere in London in summer 2011, followed by an international tour.

- For more details, contact DV8 Theatre Company on (0207) 6550977, or e-mail dv8@artsadmin.co.uk.