Dictating to the Estate (performer) is a documentary play about the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, compiled entirely of emails, blogs and council minutes from before the fire of June 2017. The play places the redevelopment of the tower and its surrounding area in the context of austerity politics and gentrification; and re-enacts the efforts of local housing activists to resist these policies and ensure the improvement works were safely carried out. The play ends six months before the fire, with local residents' prescient observation that only a “major catastrophe … with serious loss of life” would bring their landlords to account.
In January 2019, the play was presented as a rehearsed reading at The Playground Theatre, just a ten minute walk from the site of Grenfell Tower. The two performances were completely sold out, and received unanimous encouragement and valuable feedback from audiences, including many from the local community who are deeply invested in the play's content.