Darkling

An epic story of a life ravaged by ecological disaster

"I walk home. The skyline is changed.  
The skeleton is fast becoming a huge metal creature.  
They have built a behemoth here."

Bhopal. India. 1984.  
 
Born under a blue sky in a city of lakes, a girl grows up with her father and sister. The three of them together, always. 
But as she grows, the land begins to change. A giant factory rises over her town. Her mother always wanted more for them - now the girl wants more too. 

Then comes the night that tears everything apart.

Ferocious, brutal and damning, this epic story of a life ravaged by ecological disaster is written by Titas Halder (Foal, Finborough) and directed by Matthew Xia (Tambo & Bones, ATC/Stratford East). 

Image concept by Émilie Chen. Photography by Sebastian Nevols

Friday's performance of Darkling will be followed by a post-show Q&A with Associate Director, Sara Aniqah Malik and performer, Linnea Berthelsen. Facilitated by HOME's Studio Programmer, Saffron Rain, the panel will discuss the themes of the show, the process of creating such a challenging piece of work and some of the history the narrative is rooted in. This will be approximately 30 minutes long and include space for questions from the floor. 

Reviews

★★★★★ - London Theatre Reviews
"A devestating story, powerfully told"

★★★★ - The Stage
"Berthelsen does a remarkable job"

★★★★★ - This is all things
"Berthelsen holds the audience in the palm of her hand for 90 gripping minutes"

★★★★★ - Theatre and Tonic
"You simply cannot look away"

CAST AND CREATIVES

She: Linnea Berthelsen (Stranger Things)

Designer: Simon Kenny 
Lighting Designer: Rajiv Pattani 
Sound Designer: Beth Duke 
Composer: Niraj Chag 
Movement Director: Anjali Mehra 
Casting Director: Shaheen Baig  
Associate Director: Sara Aniqah Malik
Voice Coach: Zabarjad ‘Budgie’ Salam