Following on from the worldwide success of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse, Simon Reade adapts and directs this stage version of Morpurgo’s award winning book Private Peaceful.
Private Peaceful is a timely reminder of the heroic sacrifices that were made by those involved in World War I.
The story charts the life of a young soldier, Tommo Peaceful, a private who faces firing squad for cowardice. As he sits in his cell awaiting for sunrise, Tommo, thinks back to some of his fondest memories and reflects on the events that made him the person he is today.
Thomas ‘Tommo’ Peaceful and his elder brother Charlie do everything together. They used to go to school together, face their problems together, sleep and eat together; they even loved the same girl…But now they have to face the many facets of war together. Can a bond and loyalty between brothers overcome the brutality of the front lines and bring them safely home? When the lines of heroism and cowardice collide, what can one man or even a brother do to fight the injustices of it all?
★★★★★ “The horrors of war and the joyfulness of life are bound up together in this magnificent show” THE SCOTSMAN
★★★★★ “Heart-warming, as well as wrenching. A timely reminder of the heroic sacrifices that were made by those involved in the conflict” EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS
★★★★★ “As moving as the poetry of Wilfred Owen and as painfully memorable as white-hot shrapnel” THE SUNDAY HERALD
Michael Morpurgo is a renowned writer of recent times who has penned award winning books like ‘War Horse’, ‘The Lion Butterfly’ and ‘Private Peaceful’. This prolific writer has inked numerous books which were well acclaimed by readers and critics alike. He was an acquaintance of renowned poet Ted Hughes and under his guidance he pursued his career as a writer. These two writers, Hughes and Morpurgo, were the ones who came up with the idea of the ‘Children’s Laureate’. Michael Morpurgo was the third Briton to be awarded with this honor.
Presented by Verdant & Pemberley Productions
Written by Michael Morpurgo
Adapted and directed by Simon Reade
Starring: Shane O’Regan as Private Peaceful
POST SHOW TALK – Monday 22nd May
Download school resource here.