Chalk Line presents
The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return
Written by Sam Edmunds
"If this town gave out a collective breath of exhaustion, buildings would shake across the whole of England."
Two best mates. One HUGE party. Luton pinned by austerity. An evening of noughties bangers and shots of shitty gin mixed with the chaos of violence. A night to remember!
Winners of the 2022 Untapped Award, Chalk Line presents The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return.
Packed with swagger, it hurls at a rapid pace with linguistic vigour and unfolds in real time. It's a tapestry of violence and joy parading through Luton.
Image by Luce Newman Williams
Supported By: The Hat Factory Arts Centre, Theatre Peckham, Camden People's Theatre, The Unity Theatre Trust and the Peggy Ramsay Foundation.
★★★★★ " A masterclass in storytelling" Theatre Weekly
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★★★★★"Unfolds like an urban epic: its small cast of characters freewheeling through streets and council estates, the fizzing freedom of youth caught against the suffocating constraints of British austerity...it all feels irresistible" Fest Magazine
★★★★ "Playwright Sam Edmunds gives us a teens’-eye view of the town in the 00s with this arresting account of a house party...an eloquent assessment of how fear can result in fury" The Guardian
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★★★★"Think Steven Berkoff’s East crossed with a grimy, anti-lyrical Under Milkwood and you have something of the flavour of this odyssey into the underbelly of Luton. Writer Sam Edmunds sees the life burning furiously inside of them." Lyn Gardner, The Stage
★★★★ "Edmunds paints a vivid picture of the limiting factors on the lives of working-class men, the grinding sense of debt that is passed down from generation to generation, the violence they encounter and have to live with on the street..it's exhilarating" What's On Stage
★★★★★ Ed Fringe Review
★★★★★ Binge Fringe
★★★★★ Corr Blimey
★★★★★ UK Theatre Web
★★★★★ The Real Chris Sparkle
★★★★★ North West End
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★★★★ Three Weeks
★★★★ The Scotsman
★★★★ British Theatre Guide
★★★★ A Young(ish) Perspective
★★★★ West End Best Friend
★★★★ Culture Fix
★★★★ Mervyn Stutter
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WINNER OF BEST NEW WRITING - BESTIES AWARDS - FEST & SKINNY MAGAZINE
WINNER OF BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - OLATUNJI AYOFE - THEATRE WEEKLY
FINALIST FOR THE SIT UP AWARDS WITH THE LIST
GRANT WINNER FOR THE SIT UP AWARDS
FINALIST FOR BEST NEW WRITING STAGEY PLACE AWARDS (PENDING)
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Cast:
Olatunji Ayofe
Amaia Naima Aguinaga
Elan Butler
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Creative Team:
Written By - Sam Edmunds
Directed By - Sam Edmunds & Vikesh Godhwani
Designed by - Rob Miles
Produced by - Chalk Line Theatre
Sound Design by - Matteo Depares
Lighting Design by - Sam Edmunds
Movement Direction by - Jess Tucker Boyd
