AN author hopes a theatre adaptation of his work created by the Lichfield Garrick will help connect different generations.
Michael Morpurgo’s Farm Boy – the sequel to War Horse – is heading out on a national tour.
It will be directed by the Garrick’s artistic director Daniel Buckroyd, who first produced the show in 2010 for a tour that included a stop in New York before he brought it back to life with a new cast for a run at the theatre’s studio in 2024.
The production will now head out to locations including London, Coventry, Sunderland, Aberystwyth, Exeter and Weston-super-Mare between 22nd March and 1st June.
In an interview with director Daniel, the author said he hoped that the story would demonstrate the need for generations to set aside modern gadgets and communicate with each other more readily.
Michael said:
“The relationship between older people and younger people is very often interrupted by technology.
“There’s wonderful things about a phone, but if a child is constantly going to that and the grandparent is looking at the television then there’s less time for the two to tell stories of each other’s lives. Therefore how much do we really understand each other?
“It is a hard thing because that’s what seems to be happening life is contracting when it comes to contact at the moment.
“It’s a really important moment in childhood where you find that a story and a person is really important to you.
“I’m really hoping that people will go along to the theatre and see Farm Boy. It’ll give you an insight into the world as it was 100 years or so ago – and also it’s about relationships between young and old, which is important.”
Farm Boy pays homage to the generation who fought in the First World War, the land they came home to and how that conflict affected them.
Full details on the tour can be found at lichfieldgarrick.com/farmboy.