Huge heartfelt thanks to all of you who were able to get along to a performance of THIS EVIL THING at the magical space of Tara Theatre, SW London, on November 7,8 or 9th – all three nights were packed; Cyril Pearce, expert on WW1 COs, gave a great talk before Saturday’s show and helped me with the Q and A afterwards (I have so little voice left at the end!); the audiences were so engaged and attentive, it was a joy to perform the play yet again… feels like part of my DNA now!
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Yes, the final performances for the foreseeable future of THIS EVIL THING
will be at Tara Theatre, Earlsfield, SW18 4ES on November 7-9th at 7.30pm
(2.30pm matinee Friday 8th to be confirmed)
Book on 020 8333 4457 or at http://www.tara-arts.com

(10 minutes by train from London Waterloo)

Please come and bring a friend! Someone who doesn’t perhaps know anything about the story of these brave men and women 100 years ago who strove for peace, who strove to resist the rush to war.

This Evil Thing: In the well – Photographer: Simon Richardson

THIS EVIL THING is the compelling and inspiring story of the men who in 1916 said no to war.

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Last week in Westminster a group of people were listening keenly to the words being spoken, giving their undivided attention to the drama unfolding before them, and when they got the chance, asking incisive, intelligent questions.

No, this wasn’t in the House of Commons (alas), but in the hall of Harris Westminster Sixth Form College – located in a former Ministry of Justice building a stone’s throw from Parliament – where the first performance in 2019 was taking place of This Evil Thing, my play about Britain’s WW1 conscientious objectors. Continue reading →

A most significant month – 100 years since the ending of ‘the war to end all wars’- (hmm, what went wrong there?) – and a month that sees me setting out on the road all round the UK with my play THIS EVIL THING: as far north as Aberdeen and as far south as Brighton. Two London performances are taking place on November 4th and 7th – all details can be found on the Performance Dates page of this website – thank you!

I was in Tavistock Square, London, yesterday August 6th, at the very moving ceremony to remember those who died in Hiroshima 73 years ago as a result of the first Atomic bomb. This Thursday, August 9th, I hope to be in Battersea Park to witness the floating lanterns released into the Thames in memory of those who died at Nagasaki, also 73 years ago. I have been working on and off for quite some time now on the second part of my trilogy (THIS EVIL THING being the first part) – which focuses on three individuals in particular who were involved in the tragic events in 1945 – a scientist, a soldier and a survivor. I feel very stirred by this piece of work and it seems appropriate that I have completed the latest draft of this play this very week. I hope it will see the light of day in 2019 or 2020 latest when it will be performed by myself and a female Japanese performer (yet to be cast!). The photo posted here I saw at Tate Modern a couple of years ago – in Elton John’s collection, I think – and it feels very evocative.

Feb. 14th 2018

The answer to that question for about 40 people in and around the North Yorkshire village of West Burton seemed to be – ‘I know, let’s go and see a play in the local village hall about the treatment of COs in World War One.’

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