A moving and darkly comic story of an Afghanistan veteran’s search for redemption, and a fascinating insight into the plight of ex-servicemen in modern Britain.
Ex-squaddie Ray – mentally scarred from his time in Afghanistan – returns home to Doncaster to attempt to see his kids and reconcile with his ex-wife, Carla – mentally scarred from her marriage to Ray. A pub lock-in provides the setting for the humorous, heart-wrenching action that follows.
Cat Jones’s play Glory Dazed won the BBC’s Alfred Bradley Bursary Prize 2011. It was developed in collaboration with ex-soldiers serving prison sentences at HMP & YOI Doncaster by Second Shot Productions, a social enterprise that exists to give serving prisoners and ex-offenders opportunities within creative industries.
The play was first performed as part of the Old Vic New Voices Edinburgh Season 2012 at the Underbelly, Edinburgh, in August 2012. The production transferred to the Adelaide Fringe Festival at the Holden Street Theatre in February 2013, and then to Soho Theatre, London, where it opened in April 2013.
‘Devastating… a deeply intense hour’
— Time Out
‘A piercing drama… captivating’
— Whatsonstage.com
‘Frighteningly real and relevant… remarkable theatre’
— British Theatre Guide
‘Stunningly intense and brilliantly paced… a visceral explosion of thought-provoking content that grabs you by the scruff of the neck and doesn’t let go’
— Londonist
‘The ring of authenticity resounds from every inch of the play’s structure and delivery… astonishing’
— Broadwaybaby.com
‘This is a story that needs to be told and an issue that needs to be addressed. But don’t go and see Glory Dazed just because it has something vital to say. Go see it because Glory Dazed is hairs-standing-on-the-back-of-your-neck, rivetingly good theatre’
— Examiner
Alfred Bradley Bursary Prize
