The Great Game is a new festival at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn, London, that looks at the seemingly never-ending history of conflict that has consumed Afghanistan for the last 150 years or so. The plays take place over three nights (or a whole day if you see it on the weekend) and are split into chronological parts. Part one looks at the period from 1842-1930 and the first Anglo-Afghan Wars. Part two takes place between 1979 and 1996 at a time when the Americans were funding the Mujahedeen to fight the Soviets who were occupying the country. Part three is from 1996-2009 and looks at the causes and dilemmas of the current conflict. We spoke to Ben Ockrent - one of the youngest playwrights featured in the festival - about his play Honey.

Ben Ockrent

How did you become involved in this ambitious project?

The National Theatre Studio young writers' development scheme collaborated with The Tricycle to commission four young writers to write a play each on Afghanistan. Two writers were chosen. I was one of them.

What’s your play about?

It’s set in 1996. The US have been disengaged from Afghanistan for five years – having pulled out when the Mujahidin defeated the Soviets. The US is worried about international terrorism and the CIA Station Chief in Islamabad, named Gary Schroen, realises that of the 2500 Stinger missiles given to the Mujahidin to take out Soviet helicopters, 600 are still floating about somewhere. The US is worried that these missiles will be used against them. So Schroen decides to engage the leader of the Northern Alliance, Commander Massound, in order to ask for help in retrieving the Stingers, but also to develop a longer term relationship with him in order to help him in his fight against the Taliban. My play is essentially about that meeting. Massoud helped Schroen to get back the missiles, but the relationship that Schroen promised never developed.

So in 2000, three days before 911, Massoud is killed by Al-Qaida agents posing as journalists. The Twin Towers are attacked and only then do the US get involved.

What research did you do?

I read a load of books. Ghost Wars by Steve Coll was probably the most influential. I was also fortunate enough to meet one of my characters – a man named Masood Khalili who was Commander Massoud’s advisor. I emailed him and he invited me out to Turkey where he is now Afghan ambassador to Turkey.

What was he like?

Very spiritual, intelligent and well read. He has a great passion for Sufi poetry as his father was a famous Sufi poet. He used to read Commander Massoud poetry at night in their tent. But you also have to remember that this is a man who fought with the Mujahidin against the Soviets for 20-odd years.

How did meeting one of your characters help?

It helped me to Clarify some of the facts – all be it from his point of view - and it gave me his voice, his diction and his intonation. He is the narrator and it is really his story – about his relationship with Massoud.

Michael Cochrane & Paul Bhattacharjee playing Gary Schroen and Commander Massoud in HONEY

Why is it important to have this series of plays right now?

Afghanistan is certainly massively important militarily right now with Obama redirecting his attention away from Iraq and sending more troops out to there. And the current situation in Pakistan, with the Taliban only 70 miles away from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, is inseparably linked.

It’s also a country that the UK has been involved with - militarily - for so long… since 1841 I think with the first Afghan War. And we’ve been there on and off ever since. So it’s important for people here to understand the situation out there and our involvement.

Vincent Ebrahim and Paul Bhattacharjee playing Khalili and Commander Massoud in HONEY

But this is a cultural event and people shouldn’t be deterred by the subject matter, which might seem a bit weighty. We’re not trying to give a history lesson. It’s entertainment.His

What have you got coming up?

I’m developing a new drama series for the BBC and I’m writing on a new BBC drama that will be showing this summer.

The Great Game takes place at the Tricycle from 17 Apr 2009 - 14 Jun 2009.