Overview

Autumn 1940. The Battle of Britain rages.

Southampton is home to Britain's only hope of victory: the Spitfire. But when the Luftwaffe drops 2,300 bombs in three devastating raids, the city goes up in flames and the Woolston Supermarine Spitfire factory is destroyed. From the ashes, a story of chaos, courage and community spirit emerges.

Jackie is the third generation of Dimmock at her family-run laundry. Polly is the first and only draughtswoman in the Spitfire design office. How will each woman forge her own path in this evolving landscape?

Howard Brenton's The Shadow Factory tells the remarkable and little known story of how Southampton stepped up during WWII. It premiered at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, in February 2018.