Leading Scottish playwright David Greig has moved to defend his new play after it was reported to be a musical about the Norway killings committed by Anders Breivik.
He said his new play, The Events, which he is still writing, is instead a fictional story exploring how com-munities and individuals deal with huge trauma.
Greig, whose plays include Dunsinane, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart and Midsummer, travelled to Norway to research the play, which will be premiered at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre.
He said the play is set in Scotland and does not concern the Norwegian mass murderer, who killed more than 70 people, most of them teenagers.
Greigs said: "The Events is not a musical. It is not about Anders Breivik. The Events is a project which uses a fictional story to explore how communities and individuals heal after traumatic violence. We will work with community choirs who will bring their own songs and repertoire."
The play centres around a young woman who has to try to respond to the impact of a mass murder.
Greig added: "It seems my decision to conduct some research in Norway on the way in which Norwegian society has approached the aftermath of its trauma has opened a door which has allowed Breivik's name to be attached to my project.
"I know many people in Norway still feel extremely raw about Utoya and reading this headline will have stirred up feelings of anger and hurt and perhaps also fears about exploitation. I would like to reassure any-one concerned the play does not mention Breivik, Oslo or Norway. The "events" are wholly fictional."
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