Birdsong, a play adapted by Rachel Wagstaff from the Sebastian Faulks novel of the same name, will be touring the UK for the last time next year.
Marking the centenary of the end of the World War One, Birdsong will embark on its final UK tour, opening at the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds on 31st January and concluding on 17th July.
Birdsong tells a story of love and courage, before and during the war. In pre-war France, a young Englishman, Stephen Wraysford, embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their worlds upside down. As the war breaks out, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme. Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war, Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle and the idyll of his former life as his world explodes around him.
The cast will be headed by Tom Kay and Madeleine Knight as Stephen Wraysford and Isabelle Azaire.
Author Sebastian Faulks commented: “This is the fourth and final tour of Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of my novel and, as it coincides with the centenary of the Armistice in 1918, it comes with an additional air of celebration.
“The play has had a long life since its first incarnation in the West End in 2010 and audiences have always been warm and appreciative. I very much hope that this finale will be a glorious one.’’
Selected Birdsong tour dates
Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds: 31st January - 3rd February
Crewe Lyceum Theatre: 6th - 10th February
Cheltenham Everyman: 19th - 24th February
Wyvern Theatre Swindon: 20th - 24th March
The Lowry Salford: 3rd -7th April
The Capitol Horsham: 23rd - 28th April
Churchill Theatre Bromley: 1st - 5th May
Cambridge Arts Theatre: 14th - 19th May
Theatre Royal Glasgow: 29th May - 2nd June
New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham: 18th - 23rd June
Bristol old Vic: 10th - 17th July
More dates and venues can be found online. Group organisers should contact their chosen theatres for more details about group rates.
For more information, visit www.birdsongthetour.com.
