Click here!

The 306: Dawn

The 306: Dawn

A National Theatre of Scotland, 1418 NOW and Perth Theatre co-production, in association with Red Note Ensemble.  

The 306: Dawn is a new piece of music theatre from the National Theatre of Scotland as part of 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary. Based on real events, it charts the journey of three of the British soldiers who were executed for cowardice, desertion and mutiny during World War I (1914-18).

Joseph Byers (17) from Glasgow. 
Too young to enlist, Joe, like so many at the time, has lied about his age to join the other men at the front. However, his dreams of being a solider are quickly destroyed by the brutal realities of trench warfare and he soon finds himself in trouble with the authorities.

Private Harry Farr (25) from London. 
Traumatised by the things he has seen and lived through as a serving soldier, Harry is suffering from shell shock and is now unable to fight. He has subsequently been convicted of cowardice and, as he waits to hear his fate, he dreams of his wife and hopes for a last minute reprieve.

Lance-Sergeant Joseph Willie Stones (24) from Durham. 
Having used his rifle to block the entrance to a trench during fierce fighting, Joseph stands accused of casting away his arms in combat - an offence punishable by death. He thought he was protecting his men, but the top brass want to make an example of him to maintain discipline in the ranks.

With a contemporary score performed live by the Red Note Ensemble, the songs explore the vulnerability and devastation of the battlefields, alongside the inner struggles of the men. 

Poignant and powerful, The 306: Dawn will be performed in a transformed barn in the Perthshire countryside. Join us, as we explore the lives of these unknown soldiers and give them back their voices, stories and names.


The critical consensus

Director Laurie Sansom has assembled a talented nine-strong ensemble, fully alive to the many demands of their roles.

Joy Watters, Across the Arts, 03/06/2016

Josef Davies, Scott Gilmour and Joshua Miles play Harry, Joe and Willie with an unerring grace in this most brilliantly moving of elegies.

*****Neil Cooper, Coffee-Table Notes, 29/05/2016

This is an indelibly powerful work of music theatre that will have that impact wherever it is performed, for many years to come.

****(*)Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman, 30/05/2016

In a field in Perthshire at dawn, this spine-tingling music-theatre piece told the stories of 306 traumatised young men who were executed for cowardice.

****(*)Mark Fisher, The Guardian, 31/05/2016

One admires the play’s desire to name and honour the memories of those unjustly executed, even if the show doesn’t quite measure up to its own epic billing.

Mark Brown, Scottish Stage, 01/06/2016

The 306 stands out in a year of WWI theatre works as an intelligent reflection on the horror of war without slipping into the easy clichés.

****(*)Gareth K Vile, The List, 01/06/2016

[The production] feels overegged, with the human story almost eclipsed by the elaborate framing.

***(*)(*)Allan Radcliffe, 01/06/2016

Heartbreaking but humbling.

****(*)Anna Burnside, Daily Record, 02/06/2016

Sansom has somehow created something at once delicate and forceful, emotive yet numbing.

****(*)Irina Glinski, TVBomb, 16/06/2016


Features about The 306: Dawn

The 306: Dawn, the play that honours First World War soldiers shot for desertion.

Susan Mansfield, The Scotsman, 23/05/2016

War tragedy is all in the execution as audience are told true tale of WWI deserters.

Steve Hendry, Daily Record, 22/05/2016

Where and when?

Perth Concert Hall , Perth from Tuesday May 24, 2016, until Saturday June 11, 2016. *Audiences will board a bus that will take them to the actual performance space.. More info: www.horsecross.co.uk

Comments: 0 (Add)

To post a comment, you need to sign in or register. Forgotten password? Click here.

Find a show


Search the site


Find us on …

Find us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterFind us on YouTube

Click here!