Quercus

Nick Stafford

11 a.m., 11th November 1918. Just when Philomena thinks Dan's going to make it home, her fiancé's slain on a battlefield in France. Four months later, grieving Philomena travels to London to meet three soldiers who fought with Dan. Soon she discovers a terrible possibility: Dan's death wasn't at the hands of the enemy. But there is no proof, no witness, only an accusation by one man and the threat of ruin by another should he ever repeat it. Alone in an alien city traumatised by the aftershocks of the war, whom should Philomena believe, who can she trust, in her attempt to discover if Dan was murdered? And this isn't her only challenge. Whilst inching ever closer to the truth Philomena finds herself falling for one of the men...

Armistice

Philomena Bligh's fiancé Dan, has been shot. The First World War claimed many lives and so his death is not, in its own way, surprising. But Dan was shot in the minutes after the Armistice. The war was over. She cannot understand how this could have happened, or why they were still fighting that morning anyway. So, in March 1919, over Dan's birthday, Philomena travels to London to meet the men who were with him when he died. What she discovers is more shocking than she'd ever imagined. Dan's best friend, Jonathan, tells her that Dan was shot by a British officer over a gambling debt. There is no proof and all records of Jonathan's accusation have been destroyed. Refusing to accept anything less than justice for the man she loved, Philomena decides to take on the Establishment. Worried that she may cause his own downfall and feeling guilty for his mysterious part in Dan's death, Jonathan decides to accompany her on her mission. Set against a backdrop of London in the aftermath of the Great War, a time of upheaval, grief and wanton escapism, this is not just an inspirational book about what it means to be a hero, but also a breathtaking love story.

1795: England is at war with France, women are seen but not heard, and the Prince Regent, a man with 'an undeserved reputation for enjoying the amusements of his position whilst not embracing duties', is under pressure to marry and produce and heir.

Battle Royal

I want you to do yourself proud, Joey. You go and drive those Germans back where they've come from, and then come home to me. At the outbreak of World War one, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. Caught up in enemy fire, fate takes Joey on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man's land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. Nick Stafford's adaptation for the stage of the celebrated novel by the Children's Laureate (2003-05) Michael Morpurgo leads us on a gripping journey through history. War Horse premiered at the National Theatre, London, in October 2007.

War Horse

Michael Morpurgo

This moving story, based on the novel by National Curriculum recommended author Michael Morpurgo and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, is an incredibly moving portrayal of the bond between a soldier and his horse in the deadly chaos of the First World War. Sold to the army in 1914 and separated from his beloved young master Albert, farm horse Joey is thrust into the midst of the Western Front. Albert vows to follow Joey to war and to be reunited with his friend, but will they find one another?

Nick Stafford

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