A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Birdsong

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  4w, 9m

Sebastian Faulks, Rachel Wagstaff

“No child or future generation will ever know what this was like, will ever understand”

Based on Sebastian Faulks’s international bestselling novel, Birdsong tells the story of a soldier haunted by his past.

Birdsong

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 9m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Literature)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
As a young man, Stephen Wraysford was caught up in an all-consuming love affair in Amiens, France. As the First World War unfolds, Stephen finds himself pulled closer and closer back to Amiens, back to the Valley of the Somme. This is a tale of one man’s quest to understand how far mankind can go and still call itself human.

This powerful and compelling story about courage, love, friendship and loss is brought to the stage for the first time in a version by Rachel Wagstaff.
Keywords
  • Time Period 1910s/WWI
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Cautions
    • Intense Adult Themes

Media

"Whilst being totally sympathetic to the mood and spirit of the novel, Wagstaff is ruthless in cutting and creative in finding structural connections for the stage." - WhatsOnStage, Read more

"The drama, emotionally gruelling as it is, makes use of this dark humour, and the earthy comedy of groups of men away from the company of women." - The Stage, Read more

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Author

Sebastian Faulks

Rachel Wagstaff

Rachel Wagstaff

Rachel Wagstaff wrote the book for the multi-award winning musical Flowers for Mrs Harris (Best Musical, UK Theatre Awards 2016), which transferred to Chichester Festival Theatre, directed by Daniel Evans, in September 2018 after a run at the Sheffield Crucible. Her criticall ...

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