- 88 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
The 306: Dawn
About This Book
The 306: Dawn is a new piece of music theatre from the National Theatre of Scotland. Based on real events, it charts the heart-breaking journey of three of the three hundred and six British soldiers who were executed for cowardice, desertion and mutiny during World War I (1914-18). ' You are a fucking coward and you will go to the trenches. I give fuck all for my life and I give fuck all for yours and I'll get you fucking well shot' – Sergeant to Harry Farr. Joseph Byers (17) from Glasgow.
Too young to enlist, Joe, like so many at the time, has lied about his age to join the other men at the front. However, his dreams of being a solider are quickly destroyed by the brutal realities of trench warfare and he soon finds himself in trouble with the authorities. Private Harry Farr (25) from London.
Traumatised by the things he has seen and lived through as a serving soldier, Harry is suffering from shell shock and is now unable to fight. He has subsequently been convicted of cowardice, and as he waits to hear his fate, he dreams of his wife and hopes for a last minute reprieve. Lance-Sergeant Joseph Willie Stones (24) from Durham.
Having used his rifle to block the entrance to a trench during fierce fighting, Joseph stands accused of casting away his arms in combat - an offence punishable by death. He thought he was protecting his men, but the top brass want to make an example of him to maintain discipline in the ranks. With a contemporary score performed live by the Red Note Ensemble, the songs explore the vulnerability and devastation of the battlefields, alongside the inner struggles of the men. Poignant and powerful, The 306: Dawn will be performed in a transformed barn in the Perthshire countryside.
Frequently asked questions
Information
ALL | I have no name no name. Shot at dawn, grave unmarked. I have no name. Cut me out, cut me out like a wart like an eye. I have no name. I have no name. |
HARRY | What’s your name? |
GERTRUDE | Cheeky. |
HARRY | Me? |
GERTRUDE | You’re a bad man, Harry Farr. |
HARRY | Guilty as charged. |
GERTRUDE | What kind of girl do you think I am? You whistle and I come running. |
HARRY | What a world that would be, eh? |
GERTRUDE | I’m a respectable married woman, I’ll have you know. I’ve got a nice house and a kid. |
HARRY | Never! I don’t believe it! You’re still sixteen to me… |
GERTRUDE | In your dreams. |
HARRY | Come back to bed. |
GERTRUDE | I can’t spend all day on my back. |
HARRY | Why not? |
He whistles. She laughs. | |
HARRY | Don’t you remember when you were working in the big house in Kensington? I’d call round for you on Sundays. That bitch mistress never wanted you out of her sight so I’d stand round the corner and whistle. |
GERTRUDE | She wasn’t a bitch. She was looking out for me. |
HARRY | She thought you were too good for me. |
GERTRUDE | And so I was! |
HARRY | You’re a cruel woman. |
GERTRUDE | I could have been a lady’s maid by now. I could be earning proper money, not slumming it with a common soldier. |
HARRY | What would you do with money? |
GERTRUDE | I know exactly what I’d do. |
HARRY | Tell me. |
GERTRUDE | I’d buy lots of hats. A hat for every month of the year. Every week. Every day. Yes! I’d have a different hat for every different day of the week and two for church on Sunday. I’d have a special room in my house for all the hats and I’d only wear them once and give them away to the needy. |
HARRY | You’re cuckoo. |
G... |
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half-title Page
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Contents
- 1.
- Afterword: Naming the dead