About the Play:

The Children is a full-length drama by Lucy Kirkwood. In a remote cottage, two retired scientists live a seemingly quiet life in the aftermath of a devastating catastrophe at a nearby nuclear power station. When an old friend and colleague unexpectedly turns up at their door, they soon discover the shocking reason for her visit, forcing them to confront their responsibility for past actions and to make a difficult choice about future generations.

The Children follows two retired physicists, husband and wife, who live near the seaside in a modest cottage assigned to them following a nearby nuclear disaster in the plant where they used to work. At the point in their lives when they finally feel they have contributed all they can to society, and simpler lives beckon, a former colleague drops by unexpectedly after 38 years, ostensibly to reminisce. In characteristic British wit, it turns out the three have more in common than just a working relationship but all that falls by the wayside as the unexpected guest's true purpose is gradually revealed. Her shocking proposal not only puts a "past due" stamp on their own lives, but has the devastating power to affect the lives of generations to come. A witty and thought-provoking commentary on redemption and responsibility. The Children is an impressive, slow-burning work that confirmed Lucy Kirkwood's status in the front rank of British dramatists.

The Children premiered in 2016 at The Royal Court Theatre in London, and subsequently transferred to Broadway a year later at the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), earning two Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. After the Canadian premiere in 2018 at Canadian Stage in Toronto, the production made its Quebec premiere at the venerable Centaur Theatre, the oldest English-language theatre in Montréal. The play is regularly performed in regional repertory, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 2 women, 1 man

What people say:

"[The Children] raises profound questions about whether having children sharpens, or diminishes, one's sense of social responsibility…a genuinely disturbing play: one not simply about nuclear power but about the heavy price we may pay in the future for the profligacy of the present." — The Guardian (UK)

"…a richly suggestive and beautifully written piece of work…Kirkwood is the most rewarding dramatist of her generation." — The Independent (London)

"The Children is tantalisingly hard to define: it is about aging and responsibility…It is very English, somewhat menacing, and often funny…What The Children is not is a polemic about the oft-cited irresponsibility of baby boomers; instead it rather penetratingly asks what they owe younger generations, exactly." — Time Out London

About the Playwright:

Lucy Kirkwood is an acclaimed East London born British playwright and screenwriter. She is a rising star in the contemporary theatre scene with more than ten UK productions, many with critical success