The 306: Dusk

The 306 trilogy is dedicated to the memory of the 306 British soldiers of the 1914-18 war who were shot at dawn, by their own side, for what was then called cowardice or desertion. This final play, The 306:Dusk, is set on November 11 2018 and considers the impact of the First World war on today’s attitudes to and experiences of war.

1. Armistice Day. A pregnant school teacher is haunted by the story of her grandfather’s story of having to kill his deserter friend. On a school trip to the battlefields she goes AWOL in a wood whilst on this very personal mission of remembrance. An injured veteran of the Iraq war has yet to cope with the aftermath of killing, and still relives the nightmare of battle. A blindfolded soldier wakes up after 100 years to hear the birds singing once more…

The 306: Dusk is a unique piece of music theatre about memory and forgetting, friendship and betrayal, exploring what the Great War means to us today. From the 2-minute silence at 11am to dusk that same day, three disparate characters, a string quartet and a choir of voices from the past and present show how our world is shaped by the war to end all wars.

The play ends with a roll call of the first names of the 306 soldiers. It also includes extracts from the diary of Oliver Emanuel as he researched and created the 2018 production.

The 306: Dusk was a National Theatre Scotland and Perth Theatre production, co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary and is the concluding part of the 306 Trilogy, following 2016’s premiere The 306: Dawn, and performances in 2017 of The 306: Day.