THE critically-acclaimed play And Then Come The Nightjars, set before, during and after the foot and mouth crisis of 2001, can be seen at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT) in late October.
Directed by Paul Robinson, the new artistic director at the SJT, and director of the highly-acclaimed My Mother Said I Never Should, which played successfully in the West End earlier this year.
Starring David Fielder and Nigel Hastings, it is set in South Devon in 2001. It follows Jeff, a dairy vet with a problem and Michael, a cattle farmer, who is a problem himself. The two men have a begrudging respect for one another, usually expressed through a shared fag, a nip of whisky and some boisterous banter. But when foot and mouth sweeps across the UK countryside their friendship – and indeed their whole way of life – is thrown into question. Michael watches in disbelief as his cows are rounded up, and to his horror, it is Jeff brandishing the gun.
This poignant and uncompromising play was a winner of Theatre503’s inaugural international Playwriting Award in 2014 and is a co-production with Bristol Old Vic, in association with Tara Finney Productions.
Staged first at Theatre503 in 2015, it was nominated for six Off West End Theatre Awards, including Most Promising Playwright.
Writer Bea Roberts, who was also nominated for the Susan Blackburn Smith prize, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that Nightjars is on the road. It's a beautiful and very special production in which the whole creative team have crafted every last detail.”
Paul Robinson said: “And Then Come The Nightjars is a really special piece. Bea explores the foot and mouth crisis from an entirely human, emotional angle, making our characters’ struggle accessible, however familiar the audience is with rural life and specifically this terrible blot on our rural landscape. I can't wait for my Scarborough-based colleagues and our audiences to see the piece here.”
And Then Come The Nightjars can be seen at the SJT at 7.45pm on Wednesday, October 19, and at 1.45pm and 7.15pm on Thursday, October 20.
Tickets are priced £10 to £18, and can be booked by phoning the box office on 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com
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