91Èȱ¬

A dark satire about the destruction of mankind at the hands of a new species of newt. Written by multi-award winning playwright Ed Harris, adapted from the 1936 novel by cult sci-fi writer, Karel ÄŒapek.

Set in the present day, War with the Newts, follows MP Lili Clay and her family. The newts can use basic tools and language and so a new labour-saving workforce is born. Newtmania sweeps the planet. But with new opportunities, old conflicts arise. The left and right squabble, and companies turn this global disaster into profit.

Told through promotional videos and news reports this timely dystopian farce about the economy, ecocide, and extinction, tracks how an apparent utopia grows around us until the newts outsmart us at our own game.

Narrator…. Doña Croll
Lili Clay ….. Laura Elphinstone
Mum ….. Liza Sadovy
Leon Clay ….. Joseph Ayre
Graham Knox ….. Jude Akuwudike
Barney ….. Oliver Westlake
Oscar/ Hugo Latymer ….. Tom Edward-Kane
Original song by Vern Asbury
Sound design by Alisdair MacGregor
Written by Ed Harris
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer
Executive Producer Joby Waldman
A Reduced Listening Production for 91Èȱ¬ Radio 3

Karel Čapek (1890 – 1938) was one of the most important Czech writers of the twentieth century. He has become best known for his science fiction. His stageplay R.U.R. introduced the word ‘robot’, and his novel War with the Newts has become a cult classic, ripe for reinvention. He also wrote many politically charged works dealing with the social turmoil of his time.

Ed Harris is an award-winning Brighton-based playwright and poet.