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Ditch
"I've listened to all the stories of my generation, then watched 'em get sick or fade away. And it wasn't this world that killed 'em. It was the other... the memory of it."
Britain, the near future. Much of the country is underwater and the government has been reduced to a group of fascist strongmen. In a rural outpost of the state, the men patrol the moors for illegals whilst the women run a self-sufficient farm to provide what all they need to survive. The living conditions are harsh, every meagre ration is grown from scratch and they must battle with inclement weather and a draconian government. As their numbers dwindle, they struggle to retain a semblance of civilisation in the face of the inevitable onset of global war.
Stark and imperative, but shot through with a sense of warm compassion, Beth Steel's debut play Ditch is a clear-eyed look at how we might behave when the conveniences of our civilisation are taken away, and a frightening vision of a future that could all too easily be ours.
Ditch is a brutal and uncompromising play, with a grounded, earthy sense of humanity. The result is both heart-rending and chilling, depicting a convincing, bleak vision of the future.
Britain, the near future. Much of the country is underwater and the government has been reduced to a group of fascist strongmen. In a rural outpost of the state, the men patrol the moors for illegals whilst the women run a self-sufficient farm to provide what all they need to survive. The living conditions are harsh, every meagre ration is grown from scratch and they must battle with inclement weather and a draconian government. As their numbers dwindle, they struggle to retain a semblance of civilisation in the face of the inevitable onset of global war.
Stark and imperative, but shot through with a sense of warm compassion, Beth Steel's debut play Ditch is a clear-eyed look at how we might behave when the conveniences of our civilisation are taken away, and a frightening vision of a future that could all too easily be ours.
Ditch is a brutal and uncompromising play, with a grounded, earthy sense of humanity. The result is both heart-rending and chilling, depicting a convincing, bleak vision of the future.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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About the author
Beth Steel
8 books4 followersBeth Steel’s first play Ditch premiered at the HighTide Festival before transferring to the Old Vic Tunnels. Ditch was shortlisted for the John Whiting Award. Wonderland, her second play, was performed at Hampstead Theatre and won her the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. Her third play, Labyrinth opened at the Hampstead Theatre in 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 28, 2024
4.5, rounded up.
Really enjoyed this bleak look at civilization crumbling in the after math of - well, we're really never sure WHAT - which is actually one of the things I liked about it; that you are given little pieces of information about what has occurred previously, but not an explicit explanation - so the resultant horrors are just that much scarier. Steel has such an assured grasp of dramatics, trenchant dialogue, and fully inhabited characters, that one is astounded this is her debut work. The ending - which elicited gasps at some performances, is both startling and exactly apt. It premiered in a site-specific production in the unused tunnels underneath the rail lines at Waterloo Station, which I think would be an ideal situation - wish I had seen it.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...
https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/...
https://onceaweektheatre.com/ditch-at...
http://www.curtainup.com/ditchlon.html
https://suzygoessee.com/2019/04/05/re...
Really enjoyed this bleak look at civilization crumbling in the after math of - well, we're really never sure WHAT - which is actually one of the things I liked about it; that you are given little pieces of information about what has occurred previously, but not an explicit explanation - so the resultant horrors are just that much scarier. Steel has such an assured grasp of dramatics, trenchant dialogue, and fully inhabited characters, that one is astounded this is her debut work. The ending - which elicited gasps at some performances, is both startling and exactly apt. It premiered in a site-specific production in the unused tunnels underneath the rail lines at Waterloo Station, which I think would be an ideal situation - wish I had seen it.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...
https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/...
https://onceaweektheatre.com/ditch-at...
http://www.curtainup.com/ditchlon.html
https://suzygoessee.com/2019/04/05/re...
September 19, 2022
Not my cuppa. I just cant see murder as an act of love. I sincerely reject that trope whenever I find it. Its such a British quality.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews