Wonder Fools and Crossmicheal Drama Club present

And Then Come the Nightjars

He’s fighting for his business. His friendship. His heritage.

2001. Disease ravages the countryside, pyres are lit on the horizon, and dairy herdsman Michael is trapped as his farm becomes a battleground for his business, his heritage, and his friendship with local vet Jeff. Ten years on and the battle scars are as evident on their relationship as they are on the landscape.

Set against the backdrop of the foot-and-mouth crisis this award-winning play charts the struggle of one farm amidst a crisis that saw the slaughter of four million animals and the postponement of a General Election.

Tender, frank and funny, the play was joint winner of the inaugural Theatre503 Playwriting Award, and premiered at Theatre503, London, in September 2015, before transferring to Bristol Old Vic.

Originally set in Devon, Wonder Fools and Crossmichael Drama Club have joined forces to relocate the play to a fictional town in Dumfries and Galloway, one of the hardest hit areas of the epidemic.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the epidemic, Wonder Fools collated an archive to serve as a piece of social history for the region for years to come you can visit the archive here.

Writer
Bea Roberts

Starring
Neil Hardy & Tommy Thompson

Set and Costume Designer
Jenny Booth

Lighting Designer
Benny Goodman

Composers
VanIves

Movement Director
Emma Jayne Park

Stage Manager
Babette Wickham-Riddick

Producer
Steph Connell

Outreach Lead
Robbie Gordon

Marketing and Comms Coordinator
Serden Salih

Engagement Coordinator
Gemma Zidel-Watt

Apprentices
Charlie Dorans (directing), Holly Chapman (design), Alishia Armstong (lighting design), Rachel Schnapp (movement directing), Emma Forsyth (stage management), Erin Findlay (composition)