Caryl Churchill’s Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, set during the English Civil War, tells the story of the men and women who went into battle for the soul of England. Passionate, moving and provocative, it speaks of the revolution we never had and the legacy it left behind.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, England stands at a crossroads. Food shortages, economic instability, and a corrupt political system threaten to plunge the country into darkness and despair.
The Parliament men who fought against the tyranny of the King now argue for stability and compromise, but the people are hungry for change.
For a brief moment, a group of rebels, preachers, soldiers and dissenters dare to imagine an age of hope, a new Jerusalem in which freedom will be restored to the land.
Premiered by Joint Stock at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in September 1976 during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, it toured the UK including the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1976. The play was revived at the National Theatre, London, in 1996 and again in 2015, in a production directed by Lyndsey Turner.
‘Epic and astringent… the fevered spirit of the times, its sense of new-found, numinous possibility, is infectiously relayed’
— Telegraph
‘A fascinating play that presents a pivotal point in English history’
— British Theatre Guide
‘Dense and passionate… gripping radical theatre’
— Financial Times
