When we began, over twelve months ago, to examine the subject of soldiers in a war zone, we had three clear intentions. The first was to truthfully tell the stories of the men and women behind the uniforms of British armed forces currently serving in war zones around the world, using the war itself as context and a catalyst rather than subject matter. The second to make those stories as authentic as possible, therefore inviting soldiers and military personnel into the rehearsal room to train the actors and educate the team. The third was to further develop the methods and aesthetic of a :DELIRIUM: production.

As we spent months researching the themes conveyed in the story, the importance and significance of our troops’ presence in Africa and the Middle East grew with the sudden uprising of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ and the purported death of Osama Bin Laden. As the general public, politicians and the media launched into opposing arguments to do with the legality of our involvement, young men and women have still chosen to sign up to the military every day, with a full understanding that they will inevitably be posted into one of these war zones to fight either to save lives or take lives and ideally to only take lives in order to save lives. These are their stories.

The stories you will see in the show are the ones that we set out to tell. However, the manuscripts still have the finger prints of the service personnel who have read it, helped develop it and agree that they are seldom told stories that need to be heard.

:DELIRIUM: are an ever evolving ensemble of artists from many disciplines and a variety of backgrounds.

Since early 2009 we have been exploring the driving force behind human choices, behaviour and relationships. Our mission is to use seeds from everyday life to create characters who tell fast, highly physical, energetic, real and honest stories. We put ordinary people in extraordinary situations.