On a farm in the North East of England a family gathers. Five brothers and four generations feature in an epic play about hope, love, fear and the very end of time.
A Thousand Stars Explode in the Skyis a refreshingly subtle and compassionate vision of the world on the edge of apocalypse. Within a cosmological context, the focus is on a single family, their relations with each other and their unreconciled regrets, soon to become permanent. With an ensemble of strong, engaging characters, there are knotty, realistic family dynamics and a palimpsest of recent family history. The characters and dialogue are naturalistic but the serious themes are elucidated and alleviated with humour and quirky, surreal touches.
The play represents a unique collboration between three of the UK's pre-eminent stage writers. The ambition of the partnership is matched by the ambition of the play's sweeping scope. Whilst the three voices collide, they also ring out individually without sacrificing the piece's coherent wholeness, and the play represents a rare, fascinating study in stage collaboration.
On a farm in the North East of England a family gathers. Three of the UK's leading playwrights come together to create an epic play about the very end of time.
Simon Stephenshas been the recipient of both the Pearson Award for Best New Play 2001-2 for his playPort,and the Olivier Award for Best New Play 2005 forOn the Shore of the Wide World.His recent plays includeHarper Regan (National Theatre) andPunk Rock (Lyric Hammersmith/Royal Exchange, Manchester).
David Eldridgewas awarded the Time Out Live Award for Best New Play in the West End in 2001 forUnder the Blue Sky(Royal Court). His plays include Serving it Up (Bush 1996), Summer Begins (Donmar Warehouse 1997), Festen (Almeida and Lyric Theatre 2004), and M.A.D. (Bush 2004).
Robert Holman's plays includeMaking Noise Quietly,Bad WeatheranlS(
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