''After the End'' is a psychological thriller play by

Dennis Kelly Dennis Kelly is a British scriptwriter for theatre, television and film. His play ''DNA'', first performed in 2007, became a core set-text for GCSE in 2010 and has been studied by approximately 400,000 students each year. He wrote the book ...

which premiered in 2005 produced by

Paines Plough Paines Plough is a touring theatre company founded in 1974 by writer David Pownall and director John Adams. The company specialises exclusively in commissioning and producing new plays and helping playwrights develop their craft. Over the past f ...

at the Traverse (

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

) and then at the

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...

(

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

), directed by Roxana Silbert and starring Tom Brooke and Kerry Condon. The play is in four parts, titled "Beginning", "Middle", "End", and "After the End".

Characters

* Louise - a popular young office worker * Mark - her colleague from the reprographic department

Synopsis

Louise wakes up in an underground nuclear fallout shelter. Mark says he rescued her from the carnage of a nuclear attack, and brought her to safety in the old shelter in his garden. She finds he has kept it stocked with tinned chilli. Isolated from the world, he tries to strong-arm her, at first to play Dungeons and Dragons with him. This psychological battle escalates as the days pass.

Reviews

The Guardian

British Theatre Guide

The Times

Other productions

''After The End'' is being revived at

Theatre Royal Stratford East The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with director Joan Littlewood, whose ...

in early 2022, directed by Lyndsey Turner and starring Nick Blood an
Amaka Okafor
It is the first major London revival of the play since its premiere in 2005. The play has also been performed internationally, including in Ireland, France ("Après la Fin"), Germany ("Nach dem Ende") and The Netherlands.

Notes

2005 plays Plays by Dennis Kelly {{2000s-play-stub