Michael Morpurgo’s novel Private Peaceful, adapted and directed by Simon Reade, is to play the Tobacco Factory Theatres from June following a decade of touring nationally and abroad.
Commemorating 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War, the story covers the life of Private Tommo Peaceful, a young First World War soldier, as he remembers it the night before he faces the firing squad.
Talking about Private Peaceful, Morpurgo has said “Private Peaceful deals with one of the darkest aspects of a terrible war; the execution of our own side. I wrote it wanting to highlight what I believed to be the injustice of those shot at dawn, but also to show the impact of the war, of any war, on family and friends and loved ones.”
The feature film of the same name and also adapted by Simon Reade will be screened to accompany the show. It features an all-star British cast including Richard Griffiths in his last film role, Frances de la Tour, John Lynch, Maxine Peake, George Mackay and Jack O'Connell.
Simon Reade has also adapted Michael Morpurgo’s Toro! Toro!, Ted Hughes’s Tales from Ovid, Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children and Pride & Prejudice.