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I've Got Something to Show You was commissioned by the Manchester Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers in response to the circumstances surrounding the death of a destitute failed asylum seeker in Manchester. Esrafil Shiri, upon whom the play is based, set fire to himself in the offices of Refugee Action in Manchester in an apparent effort to avoid being sent back to Iran after his asylum claim was rejected. Esrafil eventually succumbed to his extensive injuries and an inquest was opened to investigate the death. The death was ruled 'accidental' rather than suicide as it remained unclear whether Esrafil intended to end his life.
The play was a mixture of verbatim material and original writing. The verbatim element used witness statements as well as interviews with Esrafil's friends, refugee workers in Manchester and other local asylum seekers and refugees. Although no character plays Esrafil, various actors speak his entries on official forms and characters representing Esrafil's friends recount things he said to them in conversation. Also, a chair is left empty on stage to signify Esrafil's presence but also his inability to be 'heard' within the British asylum system. I've Got Something to Show You depicts Esrafil's increasing desperation as his claims of ill health were ignored, his asylum claim was rejected, his financial situation deteriorated and the possibility of deportation back to Iran loomed. The title of the play comes from the last words that Esrafil apparently spoke before dousing himself with accelerant.
I've Got Something to Show You was produced by In Place of War. It received a rehearsed reading in June 2005 but has never had a full production. Local asylum seekers and refugees from various countries appeared in the final reading along side postgraduate drama students at the University of Manchester and four parts were taken by professional actors.
