“Poignant” , “Moving”, “A phenomenal play”, “The play blended the familiar and the ‘new’ elements of WW1 history in Oxford so brilliantly.”, “Nothing would have prepared me for this moving, thought-provoking and utterly breathtakingly enacted performance.”, “Quite simply, a triumph!”
A compelling new play drawn from authentic accounts of life at the home front in First World War Oxford. This original production brings to light the city’s role in the ‘War to end all wars’ and the parallel stories of the local people whose lives it changed forever.
Playwright, Jeremy Allen worked with members of the local community and delved into local archives to uncover the WW1 experiences of a varied cast of characters from Oxford’s past: including Siegfried Sassoon and Lady Ottoline Morrell, as well as many whose stories have not previously been told.
While They’re Away was an UnderConstruction Theatre production in partnership with the Museum of Oxford. Created as part of the Lost Voices of Oxford’s Great War, a community project to uncover the city’s untold First World War stories. Generously funded by the Heritage Lottery.