An Irishman has written a play based on the life of Chelsea Manning that is intended as a modern take on the 1916 Easter Rising.
Donal O’Kelly, 58, from Co Leitrim, was commissioned last year by Dublin city council and the San Jose Stage, an American theatre company, to draft a play that could mark the centenary of the Rising.
The Burn Pit concerns a fictional Native American soldier who is tortured by the memory of what he saw during the war in Afghanistan.
“The character is questioning the validity of what he was expected to do, and he is interrogating the entire system of belief that he has relied on,” Mr O’Kelly said.
“I had been imagining the play as a way of reminding people that Chelsea Manning is still in jail, but it is incredible to know that the play will now remind people of her release.”
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Mr O’Kelly said that he wanted the main character to be Native American because they make up a significant number of new recruits.
In his proposal to Dublin city council, Mr O’Kelly argued that the Rising was a rebellion against imperialism at the time, and that whistleblowers such as Ms Manning were rebelling against a new form of imperialism.
“It is about resisting authority, but it is also about mixing history with present-day events to tell a story in a new light,” he added.
A small reading of the play was held during the Dublin Theatre Festival in October under the title The Memory Stick.
Mr O’Kelly said that he changed the name because he felt that certain aspects of the story became more important. The term “burn pit” refers to an area near a military site that is used to burn rubbish, and was often used by US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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The play is due to be performed at the San Jose Stage, in California, in September. There has not yet been any confirmed Irish premieres of the play.