Tues. April 18th to Sat. April 22nd, at the ARCOLA THEATRE, Dalston.    24 Ashwin Street, London, E8 3DL.    7pm each evening.

There will be a matinee performance as well on Sat. 22nd April, at 3pm.

http://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/

BOOKING FOR TOURING IN AUTUMN 2023 and beyond…

Currently we have pencilled bookings or strong expressions of interest from venues in: Salisbury, Canterbury, Walton-on-Thames, Northampton, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bewdley, Diss, York, Hull, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Caernarfon and Peebles.

1942. On a squash court in Chicago an experiment takes place which three years later will destroy a city and change the world – forever.

THE MISTAKE is a new play by Michael Mears, performed by Michael Mears and English-speaking Japanese performer Emiko Ishii.

Shigeko Nomura is a young woman living in war-time Hiroshima.
Leo Szilard is a Hungarian scientist and ‘father of the atomic bomb’.
Paul Tibbets is the American pilot chosen to fly the plane that drops the bomb.
At 8.15am on a Monday morning in August, their lives become fatally and forever entangled.

Using verbatim testimonies and remembrances from eye-witnesses, the play interweaves the stories of the survivor, the scientist and the soldier to create a gripping and powerful drama – about what happens when scientific discoveries unlock the awesome power of nature, and “the genie is let out of the bottle”.

The play’s running time is: approx. 80 minutes. and is suitable for audiences of 15+ years.  It will appeal to anyone interested in history, politics, science, ethics, morality and peace studies.  We also want to perform   to school and college students wherever possible. 

FOR MORE INFO PLEASE CONTACT:  thehalfitalian@aol.com   michaelmears.org                     

★★★★    ‘The past comes alive – a gripping piece of storytelling’ (THE TIMES)

★★★★    ‘Masterful, devastating story-telling.  Director Rosamunde Hutt presents  the heart-rending tale with forensic attention and gentle compassion.’ (THE WEE REVIEW) 

★★★★   ‘Mears is brilliant in his lightning-swift changes of costume, accent and                   persona as he portrays the many men encountered in Szilard’s                                       narrative.’   (SCOTSGAY MAGAZINE)     

‘An exceptionally high-quality piece of writing. Emiko Ishii is powerful,  emotional and delivers a stunningly authentic performance.  Mears offers an authenticity to the story that makes this must-see theatre. One of the strongest pieces I have seen here at the Fringe.   (THEATRE TRAVELS. ORG)

‘This amazing show…beautifully written, acted, directed and designed.  Unmissable.’              (BEN HARRISON, Artistic director GRID IRON THEATRE CO.)

‘This production was one of the most imaginative, well researched and stunning performances we have ever seen in the theatre.’                                                           (Audience member feedback, Edfringe.com)         

        WINNER OF A CAROL TAMBOR INCENTIVE AWARD EDINBURGH 2022