JIMMY is going nowhere. He has a wife but no future. He’s trapped in a world that doesn’t care for him and he doesn’t give a damn for it. He’s an Angry Young Man and he takes his anger out on Alison, his wife.

Sixty years ago, when the play premiered and sent shock waves throughout British theatre, Jimmy’s anger was all too evident but the effect of the abuse of his wife and the constant destructive violence in his words was not recognised for the threatening and potentially criminal behaviour it was.

Today we are more alert to domestic abuse, both physical and verbal. Today it is the major talking point in The Archers in the relationship between Rob and Helen. In the 1950s, it existed behind many closed doors. It was a private matter and no-one else’s business.

Today it is an inescapable issue and a thread which cannot be ignored in a contemporary production of this ground-breaking play. Jimmy is neither a villain nor a hero; Alison is neither a victim nor a saint. They are people of their time, locked in a mutually destructive marriage. The play shines a powerful light on a slice of real life in the post-war period.

Director, Paul Murray, says: “It’s searing, savage and also very funny. It is of more than historical interest. Sadly, domestic abuse is currently on the rise in Herefordshire. Through presenting a past world, Young Bloods' forthcoming production draws attention to a frightening state of affairs that is all too real to too many young people today.”

Young Bloods Theatre Company is a local company of young actors. Their first production, Canary Girls – the story of the women who worked at the munitions factory in Rotherwas during the two world wars – was highly acclaimed. They return with another drama with a local connection; John Osborne lived in South Shropshire for the last 20 years of his life.

Look Back in Anger features several of the actors from Canary Girls: Alex Evans plays Jimmy Porter; Katy Dalton is his wife, Alison; Nathan Williams is Cliff and Ruby Thorogood is the actress Helena.

Look Back in Anger will be at The Courtyard from Thursday, May 5 to Saturday, May 7 at 7.30pm. To book, call the box office on 01432 340555.

If you are suffering abuse or know of someone who is, contact Herefordshire Women’s Aid 24 hour helpline 0800 783 1359 or Homestart Herefordshire 01432 371212.