For their Spring 2022 independent production, Gweek Players performed The Body by Nick Darke in support of Ukraine.
Two rivals in a north Cornish parish separately discover a dead body while cockling under The Old Iron Bridge. But they’re not the only ones to claim possession: the Rector wants to bury it, the policeman wants to arrest it, and the Americans from the airbase …….oh, theAmericans! But what is their real interest? Written by Cornish author Nick Darke in 1983 and first staged by RSC, the play has been described as Under Milk Wood meets Dr Strangelove. Elements of both are combined by Nick Darke’s extraordinary writing skills.
Important message: Gweek Players feel that theatre is a powerful and thought-provoking tool that can be used to communicate a strong message and create solidarity in times of crisis. The second part of The Body contains themes relating to America’s nuclear arsenal, although it was written during the Cold War of the 1980’s there are some parallels to current affairs. We believed it was important to share this absurdist play more than ever and donated a large portion of the proceeds of this production to humanitarian aid in Ukraine as well as fundraising throughout the production.
Directed by Mark Breach.