Auditions for The Children

"Retired people are like nuclear power stations. We like to live by the sea."

Former nuclear scientists Rose and Robin live quietly, unassumingly, in a remote seaside cottage. Food and power are both strictly rationed, but Rose has yoga to keep her occupied and Robin spends his days looking after the cows back on the old farm within the nuclear exclusion zone. An old friend and colleague from decades before, Hazel, arrives unexpectedly on their doorstep. As the booze begins to flow and they ruminate on old lovers, family - choices made and not made - the conversation moves inexorably towards a darker, altogether deadlier topic.

Described by The Times as "sly, gripping, darkly funny… sci-fi kitted out with real people, real dilemmas, real scope", or alternately as "Fukushima meets The Archers" (The Telegraph), Lucy Kirkwood's The Children is a brilliant reflection on personal responsibility, accountability, and what we owe to future generations. The play premiered at the Royal Court, London, in 2016 and was named Best Play at the 2018 Writers' Guild Awards.