Autumn 2001
A little background on the play, if you missed it!
Stanhope is hailed by his men as one of the best Company Captains in the
Army. But after three years on the front line he is nervous and exhausted. As
Stanhope and his officers sit in their dugout awaiting attack, the full horror
and futility of trench warfare in the First World War unfolds…
Journey’s End is set in 1918, on the Western front, where the Germans were
once more preparing a massive offensive against the British army in France. The
stress and fear associated with such attacks, as well as the anxiety of waiting,
are very apparent among the characters of the play.
Journey’s End was first performed in 1928 by the Incorporated Stage Society
with Laurence Olivier (then aged twenty-one) playing the role of Captain
Stanhope. Following its immediate success in the West End the play moved to
Broadway. By the summer of 1929 there were no fewer than fourteen companies
performing the play in England and seventeen foreign-language versions being
performed in Europe.
Characters and Acts
- Stanhope - Jonathan Roberts
- Osborne - Andrew Kendon
- Trotter - Andy Hughes
- Hibbert - Stuart Nunn
- Raleigh - Dan Cordey
- The Colonel - Gary Cooper
- Sgt. Major - Andy Waller
- Mason - Chris Owens
- Hardy - Jonathan Salt
- German Soldier - Philip Pope
- Broughton - Raymond Livermore
- Directed by - Gary Mackay
Production Team
- Set Designer & Stage Manager - Pete Sweeney
- Back Stage Crew - Bob Pugh & Chris Hunnam
- Continuity - Gaenor Pring
- Make-Up - Diana Mackay & Paul Sweeney
- Props - Liz Graham
- Costumes - Imperial War Museum, Duxford & Nigel Sweeney
- Lighting - John Morgan
- Sound - Steve Goodwin & Chris Dixon
- Special Effects - Kevin Attwood
- Front of House - Valerie Gerrard & Team
- Publicity - John Morgan & Valerie Gerrard
- Poster & Programme Design - Simon Webb
The Poster
The Programme
Photographs of the Set