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Private Peaceful : A Play For A Small Ensemble

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 5m

The Peaceful brothers, Tommo and Charlie, have a tough rural childhood facing the death of their father, financial hardship and a cruel landlord. Their fierce loyalty to each other pulls them through, until one day they both fall for the same girl. And then the Great War comes. A story of courage, devotion and sibling rivalry on what may be their last night on earth.

Private Peaceful : A Play For A Small Ensemble

Details

Summary
The Peaceful brothers, Tommo and Charlie, have a tough rural childhood facing the death of their father, financial hardship and a cruel landlord. Their fierce loyalty to each other pulls them through, until one day they both fall for the same girl. And then the Great War comes.
 
The play tells the story of a country lad fighting a war he doesn’t understand for people he cannot respect. We join 18-year-old Private Tommo Peaceful in the trenches as he tells us a story of courage, devotion and sibling rivalry on what may be his last night on earth.

Private Peaceful was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, won the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Blue Peter Book Award and is acknowledged by Michael Morpurgo (War Horse, The Butterfly Lion) to be his favourite work. This small ensemble version by Simon Reade was commissioned by Nottingham Playhouse.
History

This version of Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Simon Reade, was developed with the support of Nottingham  Playhouse and was first performed at Nottingham Playhouse on 12 February 2022.

DEVON

TOMMO – Thomas Peaceful
CHARLIE – his older brother
BIG JOE – their older brother
JAMES PEACEFUL – their father
HAZEL PEACEFUL – their mother
GRANDMA WOLF – their mother’s aunt

MR MUNNINGS – the school master
MISS MCALLISTER – Tommo’s school teacher
MOLLY – Charlie and Tommo’s friend
MRS MONKS – her mother
JIMMY PARSONS – Charlie’s and Tommo’s enemy
BIGGUNS
TIDDLERS

THE COLONEL – squire of Iddesleigh

DOCTOR
PILOT
SERGEANT MAJOR
TOOTHLESS OLD LADY
HATHERLEIGH MARKET CROWD
RECRUITING SERGEANT

WAR

ARMY CHAPLAIN
SERGEANT ‘HORRIBLE’ HANLEY
BRIGADIER
WOUNDED SOLDIER
ORDERLY
CAPTAIN WILKES
ESTAMINET OWNER
ANNA – estaminet owner’s daughter
INJURED GERMAN SOLDIER
LIEUTENANT BUCKLAND
PETE
GERMAN SOLDIER IN GAS MASK
ARMY DOCTOR
GUARD – to Charlie
MAJOR – leading trial
GENERAL HAIG
OFFICER – firing squad
SOLDIERS – from both sides
ESTAMINET STAFF

Media

“The horrors of war and the joyfulness of life are bound up together in this magnificent show” ***** - The Scotsman 

“As moving as the poetry of Wilfred Owen and as painfully memorable as white-hot shrapnel…” ***** - The Sunday Herald

“Morpurgo’s magic, a masterly adaptation by Simon Reade.... This is one hour of your own life you will never forget.” - Daily Mail

"Private Peaceful cuts to the heart of the human condition and brotherhood surrounding the deadly world of the trenches." - WhatsOnStage

"This is another powerful piece of work by Simon Reade." - The Reviews Hub

"Captivating from the start..." - Newark Advertiser

"This was a play that will undoubtedly have a lasting effect." - British Theatre Guide

"Tragedy tinged with hope, this story of brotherly affection foregrounds the family stories that give this most mechanised of wars its human face." - The Review Hub

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo began writing stories in the early ’70s, in response to the children in his class at the primary school where he taught in Kent. One of the UK’s best-loved authors and storytellers, Michael was appointed Children’s Laureate in 2003. He has written ...

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Simon Reade

Simon Reade has adapted Private Peaceful as an internationally touring award-winning one-man show, for schools and youth theatres, for BBC Radio 4, and as a feature film starring George Mackay and Jack O’Connell. His other Morpurgo adaptations include An Elephant in the Garde ...
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