Poilu and Tommy by Mick Wood at Courtyard Theatre

Theatre Voliere / Jolly Good Show presents Poilu and Tommy, a haunting play about decadence, repression, and the allure of war, by Mick Wood, at the Courtyard Theatre Main House, Islington, north London from 19 Feb to 8 Mar 2014.

Directed by Natasha Wood, designed by Ruta Irbite, cast includes Tom Grace, Lula Suassuna, Severine Masse, James Peacock, Jonathan Rigby, Virge Gilchrist, Jan Wood, Gabriel Wood. .

1900. A French and an English boy find themselves living in a dilapidated manor house in the Home Counties. Charles is a would-be poete maudit. Alfred likes Kipling. They share an Alsacien governess with a tragic secret. Bored, struggling to communicate, their games take a dark turn. Spirits are invoked, shadows gather, forewarnings of a time when they will meet again, as young men caught up in the horror of the Somme.

Théâtre Volière is a touring theatre company, produced by the association Jolly Good Show. It develops new written and devised theatre, bringing artists from across Europe to work with artists and performers from Strasbourg and Alsace.