Private Peaceful

Private Peaceful relives the life of Private Tommo Peaceful, a young First World War soldier awaiting the firing squad at dawn. During the night he looks back at his short but joyful past growing up in rural Devon: his exciting first days at school; the accident in the forest that killed his father; his adventures with Molly, the love of his life; and the battles and injustices of war that brought him to the front line. Winner of the Blue Peter Book of the Year, Private Peaceful is by the third Children's Laureate, Michael Morpurgo, award-winning author of War Horse. His inspiration came from a visit to Ypres where he was shocked to discover how many young soldiers were court-martialled and shot for cowardice during the First World War.This edition also includes introductory essays by Michael Morpurgo, Associate Director of Private Peaceful production Mark Leipacher, as well as an essay from Simon Reade, adaptor & director of this stage adaptation of Private Peaceful.

Pitched to perfection for a young audience - The glory of Morpurgo is that [he reconnects] us with our past. He simply opens our hearts to feeling., The sheer restrained power of Morpurgo's writing keeps you gripped., A balanced, considered, well-structured piece of theatre, impeccably performed and beautifully committed., A truly special piece of theatre, and from the standing ovation at the end - it looks like I'm not alone in my thinking., A haunting indictment of war's stupidity and waste

Simon Reade has adapted Michael Morpurgo's Toro! Toro! and The Mozart Question as well as the phenomenally successful stage and screen versions of Private Peaceful. His other plays include Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, Not the End of the World, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, Pride and Prejudice, and for the RSC, Ted Hughes' Tales From Ovid, Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children and Epitaph for the Official Secrets Act.Michael Morpurgo is an English author, poet, playwright and librettist, best known for his work in children's literature. He was the third Children's Laureate. His children’s novel War Horse has been adapted for stage where it became a smash hit success in the UK, before transferring to Broadway and Toronto. War Horse has also been adapted for the screen, directed by Steven Spielberg, and was released in 2012.