MARKING the centenary of the beginning of The First World War, Stephen MacDonald’s acclaimed play Not About Heroes appears at Malvern Theatres and The Courtyard next week.

This is the extraordinary story of two of the ‘Great War’ poets, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, their friendship, their inter-dependency, and their poetry. Through the letters and poems of these two men, this major revival paints a vivid and moving picture of their friendship and the conflict that brought them together.

MacDonald’s beautifully written play chronicles the friendship that developed between Sassoon and Owen, from their first meeting in 1917 at the Craiglockhart War hospital where both were being treated for 'war neurosis', to their final meeting in August 1918, shortly before Owen's return to active duty. Seen through the eyes of the older Sassoon, the play interweaves extracts from their real diaries, letters and poems, coupled with vivid projection, original music, stylish design and powerful performances to create a moving, memorable piece of theatre.

One hundred years on from the beginning of the First World War, Not About Heroes is both exhilarating and uncompromising in its exploration of love, war and a friendship that changed the face of British poetry.

Blackeyed Theatre Company presents Not About Heroes at Malvern Theatres on Tuesday at 7.30pm, and at The Courtyard on Wednesday and Thursday, October 9 at 7.30pm. To book for Malvern Theatres, call the box office on 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk. For The COurtyard, call the box office on 01432 340555 or visit courtyard.org.uk