“I want to tell you that you did not win, as you believe, because despite having been born defeated, I still dreamed.”

And with those words I ended my first play. Because there is nothing wrong with being defeated, as long as we dream – to walk free, to live an un-coerced life, to think what we will without fear of those who tell us we should not.

“Dreams of the Defeated” I wrote for political prisoners. Channeling Zamyatin in “We” or Rand in “Ideal”, this is a play about a struggle, perhaps futile, but nevertheless what else can be done? Because the people I’ve known, those who – though defeated – still dream, deserve to have their voices heard.

Incidentally I wrote this play about China. The great tyranny of our age, the people of whose land will be free. Hopefully they won’t squander their freedom, as I fear we have ours…

Finally, for those interested, I sort of took the format for my play from Sleuth with Jude Law and Michael Caine. Not that I think anybody will ever make it into a movie. People who have surrendered their freedoms cannot find it in themselves to ever understand why.