''The Accrington Pals'' is a 1981 play by
Peter Whelan
Peter Whelan (3 October 1931 – 3 July 2014) was a British playwright.
Whelan was born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, England. As a student from 1951–55 Whelan was an inspirational figure in the newly-formed Drama Society at the experimental ...
. It is based on the
Accrington Pals unit in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and contrasts its life at the front and experiences in the 1916
Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...
with the women left behind in
Accrington
Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...
.
Production history
It was premiered at the Warehouse in London on 10 April 1981 by the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
.
Premiere cast and crew
* Janet Dale (May)
* Nicholas Gecks (Tom)
* Peter Chelsom (Ralph)
*
Trudie Styler
Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress and film producer.
Early life and family
Styler was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was two years ...
(Eva)
* Sharon Bower (Sarah)
* Hilary Townley (Bertha)
*
Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker (born 17 February 1945) is an Irish actress, whose career has spanned six decades on stage and screen. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Awar ...
(Annie)
* Andrew Jarvis (Arthur)
* Jack Marcus (Reggie)
*
Bob Peck
Robert Peck (23 August 1945 – 4 April 1999) was an English actor who played Ronald Craven in the television serial ''Edge of Darkness'', for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He was also known for his role as game warden Robe ...
(C.S.M. Rivers)
* Bill Alexander (Director)
* Kit Surrey (Design)
* Michael Calf (Lighting)
* John A. Leonard (Sound)
* Peter Washtell (Music arrangement)
Other productions
* In February 2013
James Dacre
James Charles Dacre (born May 1984) is a British theatre director. He has been artistic director of Royal & Derngate Theatres in Northampton since 2013.
Early years
James Dacre was born in 1984, the son of Paul Dacre, former editor of the '' ...
directed a revival at the
Royal Exchange, Manchester
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...
with
Emma Lowndes
Emma Lowndes (born 1975) is an English actress, known for portraying Bella Gregson in '' Cranford'', Mary Rivers in ''Jane Eyre'' and Margie Drewe in ''Downton Abbey''.
Background
Brought up in Irlam, near Manchester, Lowndes attended Irlam Pri ...
as May, Sarah Ridgeway as Eva, Robin Morrissey as Tom and
Gerard Kearns
Gerard Kearns (born 4 October 1984) is an English actor. He is best known as Ian Gallagher in '' Shameless''.
Career
Kearns starred in the film ''The Mark of Cain'', for Film4 Productions, based on British soldiers' abuse of Iraqi prisoners ...
as Ralph. The production won a
UK Theatre Award for best design.
* In October 2017
Dumbarton People's Theatre
Dumbarton People's Theatre (often abbreviated to DPT) is an amateur theatre group which exists in the town of Dumbarton in Scotland.
It was formed in 1945. Since then they have normally performed four plays a year. This usually includes a Christ ...
performed the play.
Publication history
The play was first published by Methuen London Ltd in 1982.
Scenes
Act 1
i) May's market stall
ii) Recruiting office
iii) May's stall
iv) May's kitchen
v) May's kitchen (doubling as Tom's watch post.)
vi) May's kitchen
vii) May's stall (doubling as Caernarvon)
viii) May's stall
ix) May's kitchen
x) May's stall
Act 2
i) May's kitchen/France
ii) May's kitchen/France
iii) May's kitchen
iv) The Somme front, France
v) Sarah's backyard
vi) May's kitchen
vii) May's stall
viii) May's stall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Accrington Pals, The
British plays
1982 plays
Plays about World War I