The doorbell rings, a radio crackles – ancient and modern conflicts collide as the wife of a soldier fighting in Afghanistan is plunged into her own memories and into visions of the Trojan War.
Tempus Fugit: Troy and Us, from NMT Automatics, has its focus beyond the battlefield, exploring female courage and endurance in the face of war.
The play, which combines text, physical storytelling with mask work, meshes the story of a modern Army husband and wife – informed by interviews with military personnel and partners – with the ancient tale of Andromache and Hector from Homer’s Iliad.
Bea, like her Trojan counterpart, accepts that fighting is sometimes unavoidable. But while her husband Alec, like Hector, is enthralled by ideas of pride, courage and glory, the women have the wisdom to look beyond, to the brutality and consequences of war.
The production traces the relationship between Bea and Alec and the constant anxiety she endures while he is away and after his return.
Bea gets drawn into a radio adaptation of The Iliad. Mask work is used to present the fantasy relationship Bea develops with Hector, the ultimate hero, who stands in stark contrast with the demon-haunted Alec who struggles to re-assimilate.
Genevieve Dunne, the drama’s co-creator, said: “Stories of war, and the impact of war, are still overwhelmingly told from the soldier’s perspective, and that remains a largely male view.
“We wanted to change this. In following Bea, and the trauma she goes through as events unfold, we are putting the focus on female endurance and feminine courage.
“We also hope that the juxtaposition between the ancient and modern worlds will allow audiences to see past their own views of the modern British military and approach the show as a piece of storytelling that opens new worlds and new ways of seeing things.”
The production was originally developed for The British Museum’s Troy exhibition in 2020 in collaboration with the St Andrew’s University Centre for the Public Understanding of Greek and Roman Drama.
Jonathan D’Young, co-creator, added: “We wanted to look at the love, loss, grief and resilience of couples living in the shadows of war.
“The Army introduced us to couples who had been through these experiences and were prepared to share them with us – providing an insight and authenticity that would otherwise have been impossible.”
Tempus Fugit: Troy and Us had a short run at The Union Theatre Southwark brought critical praise including being described as a “Truly an enactment of the phrase ‘Theatre of War’.” ★★★★ LondonTheatre1 and a “masterclass in text-based realism… physical storytelling and mask work” PocketsizedTheatre.
During the Fringe it will be performed as part of Army@TheFringe, the Army’s own venue, which specialises in high-quality, independent productions addressing issues about life in and out of uniform.
Lt Col Hugo Clark, Chief Engagement, British Army in Scotland said: “It is wonderful to be able to support the Tempus Fugit: Troy and Us Festival Fringe première and look forward to exploring the realities and experiences of service families when the serving partner deploys and returns from operations.”
- See video trailer here or https://vimeo.com/716531186.
-Ends-
Notes for editors
The production was originally developed for The British Museum’s Troy Exhibition in 2020 in collaboration with the The Centre for the Public Understanding of Greek & Roman Drama, based at St Andrews University, and Alice König and Nicolas Wiater’s Visualising War Project, as well as Army and the Arts, Trestle Theatre Company and The Redbridge Drama Centre. The project has also since been supported by Arts Council England.
See the NMT Automatics website https://nomanstimeautomatics.wordpress.com.
Listings Details
- Venue: Army@TheFringe, Hepburn House, East Claremont Street (Venue 358)
- Time: 6pm
- Dates: 16-21 and 23-28 August
- Duration: 55 minutes
- Ticket prices: £12 and £8 concessions Tuesday to Thursday / £14 and £10 Friday to Sunday
- Advisory: Age 12+
- Box office: www.armyatthefringe.org/theatre
Reviewers welcome from 16th August.
Cast and creatives
- NMT Automatics Theatre Company
- Bea Genevieve Dunne
- Alec Noah Young
- Director Andres Velasquez
- Dramaturg Máirín O’Hagan
- Co-creator Genevieve Dunne
- Co-creator Jonathan D’Young (Stage name Noah Young)
- Set design Nathan Johnson
- Sound design Nathan Johnson & Chris Prosho
- Voiceovers Konstantinos Kavakiotis and Nasia Papadopoulou
About Army@TheFringe
- Army at the Fringe first opened its doors in Hepburn House, an Historic Army Reserve Centre in Edinburgh’s New Town in August 2017. Army at the Fringe supports and sustains creativity at the heart of the nation’s capital, with an ambition to spark conversations about what The British Army is, and what it stands for in 21st Century society.
- Since then, it has become a welcome addition to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, building a considerable reputation for innovative and engaging programming over the last five years. It has regularly presented shows that achieve huge critical acclaim and go on to enjoy major national and international success.
- This year’s programme, Different Voices – One Team explores and celebrates the diverse people and perspectives represented within the British Army, and those of our allies, both past and present.
- A quarter of this year’s productions at Army at the Fringe are pay what you want.
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Website www.Armyatthefringe.org
Pictures are free to use, please credit NMT Automatics.
For media information contact Matthew Shelley at SFPR on 09786 704299 or at [email protected].