Badac Theatre Company's THE FLOOD Coming to London

The Flood by Badac Theatre Company was created in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, described at the time as 'the war to end all wars'. Badac have produced a typically uncompromising portrayal of the unspeakable horror wrought on humanity by wars past, present and, God forbid, future. It consistently received high praise from both press and audiences at the Fringe.

Performed by writer/director Steve Lambert and Austrian actor Susanne Gschwendtner it makes its London debut at Draper Tenants Hall, 1 Howell Walk London SE1 6TL Thurs - Sat 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 and 19, 20, 21 March.

The Flood is set in the bloody battlefields of WW1 and premiered in a small previously unused cellar space below Summerhall at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival. It recreates the unimaginable horror of the conflict with an explicit depiction of the slaughter of millions of soldiers torn from their ordinary lives to fight in perhaps the most hellishly filthily squalid conditions and daily terror endured by man. A parallel love story explores the devastating effects on the women who loved those men. As the insanity of the war intensifies, it follows an emerging relationship between a front line infantryman and the woman whose love gives him hope. The drama switches between the visceral horror of war and their increasingly passionate, yet ultimately tragic love affair.

'Lambert and Gschwendtner movingly embody the emotional costs of war' Gerald Berkowitz The Stage ????

They play people whose love is irreversibly affected by unfolding events, in this intense portrayal of the emotional and psychological effects of life during wartime. See a short trailer at http://badactheatre.com/theflood.htm

'Susanne Gschwendtner is superb as the troubled nurse and Lambert gives an exhausting, powerful performance as the soldier, a true tour-de-force. This is compelling theatre that delivers a potent message.' British Theatre Guide ????

Founded in 1999, this is Badac's 11th original production. Their work focuses on human rights issues and is brave, dark, all-consuming and stunning in every meaning of the word. It provokes extreme reactions and polarises critics and audiences alike. Some find its brutality intensely moving and affecting, some leave, shocked and shaken. After their 2013 show Anna many audience members stayed to debate the themes and subject matter of the play (about murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya) with the cast. In recent years they have collaborated on productions with politically motivated theatre companies in Italy, Israel, Palestine and Denmark. Other past Badac shows include The Factory, The Cry, Crucifixion, Ashes To Ashes, The Devoured, Cage, Lunatics and Al Nakba.

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