Drums in the Night

Presented by York Settlement Community Players Directed by Claire Morley “It was you I wanted to see. Otherwise I’d be lying where I belong, would have wind in my skull, dust in my mouth, and know nothing. But I wanted to see you first.” What do you do when you return from war to find your life turned upside down? How do you act when your beloved country is in turmoil and your fiancée is celebrating her engagement to someone new? Where do you go when you don’t fit in with the impassioned revolutionaries or the heartless middle class? At a time when we are commemorating the centenary of World War One, Drums in the Night (winner of the 1922 Kleist Prize) focuses on the impact of the War in 1919 Germany, as we follow Andreas Kragler through the streets and bars of a Berlin in turmoil. This is the story of one soldier struggling with the aftermath of the First World War. Yet the personal and political conflicts he faces can be felt just as keenly today. Staged with a multi-rolling ensemble cast and live music, Drums in the Night is a little seen gem from the start of Brecht’s illustrious career, with a “language you can feel on your tongue, in your gums, your ear, your spinal column” (Herbert Ihreing).