1900. A French and English boy find themselves living in a dilapidated manor house in the Home Counties. Charles is a would-be poète maudit. Alfred likes Kipling. They share an Alsacien governess with a tragic secret. Bored, struggling to communicate, their games take a dark turn.
Written by award-winning poet Mick Wood, Poilu and Tommy was originally commissioned by The Ledbury Poetry Festival. It is the sole professional French theatre project to be part of the Imperial War Museums’ Centenary Partnership, and offers a unique perspective on the cultural background to The Great War. The histories of war-ravaged Alsace, fin-de-siècle Paris, and Edwardian rural England, collide in a beguiling, witty and unsettling piece of theatre.
Théâtre Volière is a touring theatre company, produced by the association Jolly Good Show. It develops new written and devised theatre, bringing artists from across Europe to work with artists and performers from Strasbourg and Alsace.
Poilu and Tommy will be performed by French and English adult and child actors: Tom Grace, Lula Suassuna, Séverine Masse, James Peacock, Jonathan Rigby, Virge Gilchrist, Jan Wood and Gabriel Wood. It is directed by Natasha Wood.
The show will run Wednesday 19th February – Saturday 8th March at 7:30pm at the Courtyard Theatre. Tickets can be booked from their website.
