Badac Theatre Company and Escalator East to Edinburgh Present THE FLOOD, 1 - 24 August

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 Theatre Company present a typically uncompromising portrayal of the unspeakable horror wrought on humanity by wars past, present and, God forbid, future.

The Flood is set in the bloody battlefields of WW1 and realised in a small previously unused cellar space below Summerhall. 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.

Two people whose love is irreversibly affected by unfolding events. Badac present an intense portrayal of the emotional and psychological effects of life during wartime.

The creation of The Flood follows an intense period of research by Badac director/writer/actor Steve Lambert.

Founded in 1999, this is Badac's eighth visit to the Fringe. Their work focuses on human rights issues and is brave, dark, all-consuming and stunning in every meaning of the word. Their work provokes extreme reactions and polarises critics and audiences. Some find its brutality intensely moving and affecting, some leave, shocked and shaken. After their 2013 Summerhall 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. Other past Badac shows include The Factory, The Cry, Crucifixion, Ashes To Ashes, The Devoured, Cage, Lunatics and Al Nakba. "The visceral power of the work is extremely rare" - Steven Berkoff

The Flood has been selected for Escalator East To Edinburgh. Each year Escalator East to Edinburgh helps artists and arts organisations to raise their profile and perform to new audiences as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

badactheatre.com

Venue: Summerhall Venue 26

Tickets: £12, £10

Dates: 1 - 24 Aug (not 11)

Venue Box Office: 0845 874 3001

Time: 18.30 and 20.30 (55 mins)

Online: www.summerhall.co.uk

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