Immortal, a powerful play set in the desperate hours immediately after a crew of RAF airmen are shot down over enemy-occupied territory, was written by Ciaran McConville of Kingston's Rose Theatre and first performed at the Edinburgh Festival. Now, a group of former Esher College students are bringing it to Arthur Cotterell Theatre in Kingston and reliving the horrors of a life at war
The story itself is simple and told in real-time. Five English bombers have been shot down in enemy territory during World War II. Though they try to keep their spirits up, German patrols are surely moving closer by the minute - should they leave their wounded comrade behind if doing so will help their chances?
In many ways, this isn't a story about war. The pilots are shot down before the play starts and we hardly see a moment's combat. The focus instead on the psychological strain these young men, still just boys, endure.
It's part of what drew the group to Ciaran McConville's Immortal. McConville, Director of Learning and Participation at Kingston's Rose Theatre, explores a side of war we don't often see, where humour is a flare against encroaching despair.
"It is a part of the Second World War that wasn't really told," says Olly, hinting at the controversy surrounding the bomber boys of the RAF, Bomber Command, who were responsible for the devastating bombing of German cities.
As with many of McConville's other works, it is a play that is aimed squarely at the heart. Spare on period detail, instead the focus is on a small cast of characters, each of whom have a story to tell. They are also, crucially, the same age as the cast, each of whom are only a year out of school.
"We explore the effects of war and its trauma on the young aircrew. It is very poignant that the characters are young airmen, many of whom were recruited straight out of school - the age that we are now," Olly continues.
The production team met at Esher College. After graduating, they set themselves the challenge to complete a full dramatic production before heading off to university.
"We were given the opportunity to use Ciaran McConville's play and we leapt at the opportunity as all the characters have got great stories," Olly enthuses.
Kingston-born director, Nicole Burley inspired the choice of play. A history graduate, she worked alongside McConville at The Rose, where she staged her production of Shooting Truth. Funding came from the project-based donation website, Kickstarter, for which the group founded the company, Grean Tea Productions, so-named after a typo by executive producer, Olly Fawcett.
Also hailing from Kingston, Finn Cole is no stranger to the drama of the World Wars, having made his acting debut in BBC1's crime drama Peaky Blinders, starring Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and Helen McCrory.
Immortal is a thought-provoking tale of young comrades in a desperate situation, ordinary boys scared witless by events beyond their control. As Olly tells me, the opportunity for the cast to learn about the heroic acts of an earlier generation is an experience they won't regret - and nor will those who see the production.
Immortal is at Arthur Cotterell Theatre, Kingston College, on Feb 20-21
For more details and to book tickets, visit Grean Tea Productions
Follow the group on Twitter @GreanTeaPro
