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The Permanent Way by David Hare
David Hare’s award-winning play roars to life in a provocative new site-specific staging performed in The Vaults, London’s alternative subterranean venue beneath Waterloo Station.
“What happened would simply not have happened under British Rail. It wouldn’t have happened. Not in the British Rail days.”
Revelatory, witty, and moving, The Permanent Way is an astonishing interrogation of the chaos arising from the botched privatisation of Britain’s railways. Told through the first-hand accounts of those involved at every level, from passengers to Civil Service mandarins, this extraordinary verbatim piece asks challenging questions of responsibility and governmental mismanagement. Have we learned anything from recent history?
“A searing piece of documentary theatre” The Evening Standard
“Hare has made a serious, provocative, dramatically gripping contribution to an argument of urgent interest to us all” The Times
“This intricately detailed study of a fatal privatisation is that very rare thing: a vitally necessary piece of theatre” Michael Billington, The Guardian
Praise from the premiere run, Out Of Joint 2003
- Address
Launcelot Street Waterloo London
- Cancellation Policy
No exchanges, no refunds after purchase.
- Duration
100 minutes (no interval)
- Good To Know
Some strong language and descriptions of death.
- Suitable For Children
Age restriction 10+
Recommended age 14+
- Times
13th September - 17th November 2019
Vaults Theatre
Launcelot Street Waterloo London
Latest customer reviews
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An eye opener - Informative and very moving
6 November 2019
An emotional journey that makes you shake your head in disbelief at the series of events that followed the privatisation of the railways. Troubling facts. Terrific performances.
Nathalie Confirmed ticket purchaser
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Dramatised documentary for stage
28 September 2019
A play with a conscience - excellently performed to narrate the shocking story of a series of train crashes during the first term of Labour govt. The fine detail, the human tragedy and the rigour were all so impressive.
MN Confirmed ticket purchaser
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Fantastic revival.
15 September 2019
Stunning performances in atmospheric venue. Play is still timely.
Mike Confirmed ticket purchaser
