Testing the Echo

A timely, provocative and witty look at the campaign to redefine Britishness for a multicultural society.

Who is head of the Church of England? How many members are there in the Welsh Assembly? What is the main function of the Council of Europe?

Emma is a dedicated ESOL teacher (English for Speakers of Other Languages), teaching British citizenship to people from Somalia, Serbia, the Congo, India and Egypt. At the same time, Tetyana, Mahmood and Chong have their own, very different reasons for wanting to pass the citizenship test. As the Home Office worries away at the questions in the test, Emma faces a challenge to her deepest-held beliefs.

David Edgar’s play Testing the Echo was first staged by Out of Joint on a UK tour in 2008.

‘A powerful new play… important and disturbing’
- Scotsman