Two Plays of War and Peace

A father seeks out his son on the battlefields of the Crusades, calling into question the senselessness of the bloodshed he encounters. A platoon of British soldiers sit in their trench, awaiting the order to go over the top, and debating amongst themselves the point of it all. These two one-act plays by Rodney Quinn tackle the difficult subject of war and peace with his characteristic wit and irreverence.

“I think there’s an anger in these two plays. It’s kind of an anti-rich thing. They’re kind of socialist plays about the rich controlling the poor, making the poor do their dirty work for them, in the disguise of honouring your country and all that.” (Rodney Quinn)

Both plays were first performed at the Cork Arts Theatre, Ireland, with ‘Over The Top’ winning their prize for best new writing. They have since been performed in London and Australia.

As well as being plays that would appeal to theatre companies looking to perform works critical of war and its consequences, they could also be of interest for school drama and history departments, offering a possibility for students to explore at first-hand what war means.