Pack of Lies: Schools

(Paperback, School edition)

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In 1961, Peter and Helen Kroger, two Americans living in a London suburb, were convicted of spying for the Russians and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. From these facts Hugh Whitemore has written a powerfully moving fictional account of the events leading up to their arrest with the action centered on the totally unsuspecting Jackson household Bob, Barbara and their daughter Julie. The Jacksons live opposite the Krogers, believing them to be a convivial Canadian couple and their closest friends. Then a mysterious stranger arrives, announcing he is from MI5 and quietly coerces the Jacksons into allowing their house to be used as a surveillance post. In the nightmare months that follow, the Jacksons decent, happy life is shattered as the truth about their much-loved friends is gradually revealed to them and, helpless in an alien, sordid world of deception and treachery, Barbara reaches breaking point with the agonizing realization that the Krogers have betrayed her and she, in turn, has betrayed the Krogers. Includes notes for teachers and those studying the play, written by Anthony Banks.

Author Bio

Hugh Whitemore began his career in British television, writing many original plays and twice receiving Writers' Guild Awards. He has also written for American TV, including a four hour film about the Alger Hiss case, Concealed Enemies, which won an Emmy Award for the best mini-series. He received an Emmy nomination for his dramatisation of the Carl Bernstein/ Bob Woodward book about President Nixon, The Final Days. Anthony Banks studied English at Kings College and directing at RADA before beginning his career as a director. He worked at the National Theatre until 2014 as an associate director commissioning and developing scripts for NT Connections. Anthony also leads workshops on directing new plays and contributes to books and journals about theatre.