A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  5w, 6m

Adapted from Neil Gaiman's bestselling novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a thrilling feat of storytelling in which fantasy, sci-fi, myth and imagination combine in an adventure that unfolds right here, in our world.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 6m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Fantasy
The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Details

Summary

Returning to his childhood home, a man finds himself standing beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. When he meets an old friend, he is reminded of a name he has not heard for many years: Lettie Hempstock. And is transported to his 12th birthday, when Lettie claimed that this wasn't a pond at all, but an ocean...

Plunged into 1983, our young protagonist struggles with the ripples of a disturbing event that makes him question his deepest assumptions about his fractured family. Striving to come to terms with his newly unknowable world, together with his new friend Lettie he must reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything and in turn learn to trust others to find his own feet. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a thrilling feat of storytelling in which fantasy, sci-fi, myth and imagination combine in an adventure that unfolds right here, in our world.

History
The Ocean at the End of the Lane was first produced at the Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, 11 December 2019 and the Duke of York's Theatre, 26 October 2021.
BOY
LODGER
POLICEWOMAN
POLICEMAN
ENSEMBLE
LODGER
GINNIE HEMPSTOCK
SIS
OLD MRS HEMPSTOCK
URSULA
SKARTHACH
DAD
LETTIE HEMPSTOCK
MAN
  • Time Period Present Day, 1980s

Media

"‘Theatre at its gob-smacking best’" - The Times

"Joel Horwood’s adaptation presses home a deeper terror of the violence unleashed in a bereaved family that is just trying to survive...this is a genuine rarity – a show that enthrals all generations without patronising any." - The Guardian

"It’s a lovely, heartfelt show with a surging narrative thrust, a macabre undertow and some brilliantly evoked, seriously scary monsters. I was captivated." - Evening Standard

"A thunderous, sometimes terrifying adaptation" - The Independent

"Shows like this don’t come along very often... I could swim in its twilight waters for longer." - Time Out

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Conversation with Playwright Joel Horwood
2 December 2022

Videos

  • West End: The Ocean at the End of the Lane: Official Trailer youtube thumbnail

    West End: The Ocean at the End of the Lane: Official Trailer

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.


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Scripts

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Authors

Neil Gaiman

Gaiman’s novels and collections include Norse Mythology, Neverwhere, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett), American Gods, Stardust, Fragile Things, The View from the Cheap Seats, Art Matters and the graphic novel series Sandman. His b ...
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Joel Horwood

Joel Horwood is a playwright and dramaturg whose work for theatre includes The Ocean At The End of the Lane for the National Theatre; The Great Elephant Chase at Burgtheater, Vienna; Berberian Sound Studio at the Donmar Warehouse; The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales ...
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