A ONE-man play which serves as a timely reminder of the madness of war and its true costs to survivors comes to Okehampton next month as part of a tour of the South West.
The Garden, written and performed by Jonathan Young, commemorates the 90th anniversary of the first world war, a week before Remembrance Day in a true story inspired by the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall.
As part of a month-long tour across the South West, SHAMS theatre company is bringing the outstanding solo show to the Octagon Theatre, Okehampton, on Thursday, November 4.
Highly acclaimed last year in both London and a fringe festivals tour across Canada, the new drama aims to be entertaining as well as moving.
The play weaves together high and low technology with great imagination, from playfully using a wheelbarrow as a car, a chair or a ticket booth, to stunning video projections that transport the audience into different settings and the lives of half-a-dozen characters, all played by Jonathan Young.
The Garden tells the story of aid worker Jay who returns downcast from Bosnia only to uncover the story of his great-uncle Hugh?s shell shock, lost love and protracted recovery following the first world war.
Desperate to escape his past and unable to confront an uncertain future, Jay breaks down only to find himself in the restored Victorian garden where his uncle convalesced 75 years earlier.
Tickets can be reserved on 07740 475879 or bought on the door, with concessions for pupils of Okehampton College or other schools. However, the 80-minute play is not suitable for children under 12.