As the centenary of World War One looms, the true story of a miner trapped in a tunnel during the conflict is being be told at theatres across the UK.

The Trench is an award-winning play which achieved a sell-out five star run at the Edinburgh Festival andis on a nationwide tour until the end of June.

The production is the work of Les Enfants Terribles, who have been critically acclaimed as a ‘razor sharp theatre company’ will blend live music, puppetry and physical performance to capture the drama of being entombed in a tunnel during the Great War. The play follows him as he encounters demons buried in the mud and comes to terms with the loss of his wife and infant child back home.

Inspired by the story of a miner, The Trench shows that everything in the darkness is not always what it seems as he starts to discover a new, strange world beneath the mud and death.  Setting off on an epic journey of salvation, the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur as he questions what’s real, what’s not and whether it even matters.

The Trench is written by Oliver Lansley (BBC2’s Whites, ITV2’s FM and Sky’s Little Crackers) with music by acclaimed artist Alexander Wolfe, who has performed with many artists including Jamie Cullen and Paul Weller before embarking on a solo career.

Les Enfants Terribles have performed productions to thousands of people all over the world and has toured extensively throughout the UK.

The Trench is recommended for anyone aged 11 plus.

Tour Dates remaining are as follows:

First published on the Charley’s War web site

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: Events

Tags: Comic Genres, Les Enfants Terribles, The Trench, War Comics, War Stories, World War One