FOUR of Harold Pinter's controversial plays about torture and tyranny have been put together for the first time by drama students at University College Worcester.

The production, Pinter and Politics, includes four short plays written throughout the 80s and 90s: The New World Order, One for the Road, Mountain Language and Party Time.

"The audience never sees any actual violence but there is the threat of violence and the violence in the language," said the director, drama lecturer Roy Pierce-Jones.

The production opens with the sketch The New World Order, in which two henchmen, Des and Lionel, prepare to torture a man and have a discussion about the semantics of language.

"It is funny but it is an uncomfortable humour," Mr Pierce-Jones said.

Tudor Hampton, who plays the blindfold man, then takes the role of Victor, who is undergoing a more sophisticated form of interrogation in One for the Road.

Paul Seabright plays Nicholas opposite his own nine-year-old son, Elliot, in the play, which continues the themes of the oppression of anyone who opposes the system.

Mountain Language follows women visiting their sons and husbands held in captivity but who are not allowed to use their own language.

"This third play comes from when Pinter visited Turkey with Arthur Miller and saw the Kurds being denied their language," said Mr Pierce-Jones.

"Party Time is a half-hour play set in the comfortable party while there is turmoil outside and an attempted coup d'etat."

The production opened last night at UCW and tonight's performance will be followed with a discussion lead by Dr Debbie Sly, head of the English department.

"We invited local politicians but it clashes with the night of the local election," Mr Pierce-Jones added.

"So far we know, the leader of the Tory group, Robert Rowden, is coming."

The students involved also promoted the show by distributing leaflets from Amnesty International. The production runs until Saturday, May 4, and tickets are available from the university on 01905 855000.