OUR FRIENDS THE ENEMY

‘WE’RE FIGHTING THE SAME ENEMY, JUST ON TWO DIFFERENT SIDES.’

ABOUT THE SHOW

Christmas 1914 on the Western Front; lights appear from the German trenches, ghosts rise behind the horizon and soldiers meet between the firing lines. The events which follow are the most astounding stories of the Great War told through the eyes of one soldier. Private James Boyce takes you on a magical, haunting journey through the events surrounding the remarkable Christmas Truce.

In the hundred years since, this deeply moving moment of humanity has been seen as a kind of miracle. A rare moment of peace just a few months into a war that would eventually claim over 15 million lives.

Having enjoyed sold out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in London and on two UK Tours, Our Friends The Enemy made its US debut in 2015 at Theatre Row.

CAST & CREATIVE

TOM O’BRIEN (DIRECTOR) – Training: The Arts Educational Schools London, and with Elen Bowman of LivingPictures. Directing credits include: Harper Regan (Mountview), The Wedding Singer (The Lowry), Merrily We Roll Along (Crescent Theatre, Birmingham), 21st Anniversary Production of Philip Ridley’s The Fastest Clock In The Universe (The OldRed Lion Theatre), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (The Lowry), Our Friends, The Enemy (Theatre 503, Edinburgh Festival), Daisy Pulls It Off (Liverpool Theatre School), Coming Up – Short Plays by (Soho Theatre), First and Last (Tristan Bates Theatre), Judy The Righteous (Trafalgar Studios/King’s Head), Christmas is Miles Away (Hen and Chickens), Out of The Kitchen (Waterloo East).

Assistant Director credits include: Martina Cole’sDangerous Lady (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Thoroughly Modern Millie (The Watermill), Merrily We Roll Along (Clwyd Theatr Cymru), Ruben Guthrie (New Wimbledon Studio), Little Women (LOST Theatre), Buried Child (Upstairs at the Gatehouse), A Clockwork Orange (Edinburgh Festival).

Tom is Artistic Director of The Company Music Theatre and Creative Projects Associate at The Northampton Theatre Royal & Derngate. He is also Co-Founder of TREMers.

ALEX GWYTHER (PLAYWRIGHT AND PERFORMER) – Alex is a published writer and spoken word artist.His poetical prose weaves down-to-earth tales of life in Britain to the poignant re-telling of the 1914 Christmas Truce during the First World War.

His unique delivery and “tumbling urbane style” has seen him perform across the country at venues, festivals and events such as Oxford University, the Royal Festival Hall, Latitude Festival and The Mayor of London’s Week of Peace in Trafalgar Square.

Alex has been specially commissioned to write for a number of organizations, businesses and charities including: BBC Radio 1, Mastercard, Transitions Global, The Southbank Centre and The Book People. His first poetry collection was published last year on Luke Wright’s Nasty Little Press. He has also been published by Burning Eye, in their 2012 anthology, Rhyming Thunder.

Produced by David Adkin in association with New York Rep and Robin Rayner

ROBERT A. CARREON (Associate Producer)