Art Starter: Jo Szwarc

'Kafkaesque'. It's a word that Jo Szwarc has been hearing a lot lately. He's preparing to stage his new adaptation of Kafka's The Trial, which tells the story of a man arrested and imprisoned without ever knowing the nature of his crime. “As soon as you hear the word Kafkaesque you know what it refers to” Szwarc says. “You're in the control of forces which are opaque.”

It's also a word that's increasingly being used by journalists and academics to describe the situation of a small group of refugees who are being indefinitely detained without being told why. Their plight is the inspiration for Szwarc's production, he explains. “I work for an organisation that provides services to asylum seekers and refugees. Among that population, there are people to whom ASIO [Australian Security Intelligence Organisation] has said 'You may be a refugee, but we also think you're a risk to the security of Australia'. The government's position is that they're going to keep them locked up. And it's indefinite.”

In principle, there is nothing wrong with ASIO protecting Australia from potential risks, Szwarc clarifies. But the detainees are never told why they are considered dangerous, and unlike in the UK, Canada and elsewhere, there is no independent tribunal, which reviews ASIO's decisions. A number of the detainees have kids, some of whom are also in custody.

With stakes that high, Szwarc argues, more scrutiny is vital. “States are very necessary, and they also protect individuals from harm. But the state, for a variety of reasons, also overstretches its protective role. Kafka very sharply captures that feeling that we get that the state and other forces are too powerful, that we don't control our lives.” Szwarc has his own reasons to be passionate about this issue. “My family experienced state terror unleashed by the Nazis. That sensitised me to the need for balances and laws and systems.”

It's a sentiment that's shared by the cast, who have come together especially to raise awareness of refugee detention, led by experienced director Charles Slucki. All profits will be donated to organisations working with immigration detainees.

The Trial runs from Friday 31 August to Sunday 2 September, Bella Union.