The Accrington Pals
By Peter Whelan

Presented by ~ Unit One and Barton Theatre Companies

This lyrical and absorbing play is set in Accrington during the first two years of the Great War. The Pals are the men from the local volunteer battalion who march high spiritedly off to war. Their experiences in the trenches are contrasted with those of the women left behind adapting to new patterns of life and drawing together in the face of social and sexual deprivation.

In particular, the attitudes of May, the hard-working and strong-minded vegetable stall holder, are contrasted with those of her idealistic and naively optimistic lodger Tom, and also with those of Eva, her generous-hearted friend.

At times funny , at times sad, the play paints a moving picture of the changes in civilian life during wartime.