Details

Best mates - out of work, on benefits, hanging out, and hiding in epic journeys of the imagination. Four young men escape the realities of signing on and missing out by recreating Admundsen's legendary expedition in a tiny attic room: one London footstep for every polar kilometre. "Nothing but booze, make-believe and blarney. Sod off to the South Pole." A contemporary classic, The Conquest of the South Pole revels in the complexities of what makes a group tick. Highly theatrical and poetic, this bolt-of-energy play tracks a journey from despair to hope - the weight of the everyday world seen through youthful eyes. The play received considerable critical acclaim when first performed in the 1980s and although unemployment may not be the headline issue it was then, it is now presented, for the first time, by a group of disabled actors and directors. With disabled people twice as likely to be unemployed as the population in general, this piece resonates strongly with the modern-day experience of disability.

Creatives/Company

Author(s): Manfred Karge, Anna Wallbank
Company: Theatre Resource
Director: Jeff Banks