DEATH OF ENGLAND
Carne Studio LAMDA | Set and Costume Design | Conceptual
A powerful monologue-driven play, examining issues of race, identity, and societal divisions in contemporary Britain through the lens of a grieving working-class white man.
Playwrights : Roy Williams, Clint Dyer
Director : Joshua Robertson
CONCEPT
THEMES: Exploring issues of national identity, injustice, guilt, and the overall disservice of a crumbling country that promised so much to its people. Michael and Delroy reflect on their place in England during periods of grief and great distress.
CONCEPT: To set both plays atop a concrete building, looking out over London. Both monologues are retrospective, performed as memories, not literally transporting or re-enacting the contents of each scene. Immediately following his father’s funeral, Michael grieves up high, physically and mentally on the edge. Delroy, under house arrest, watches the world from the roof, trapped and needing escape. Behind them stands an idealistic VisitEngland advertisement, starkly contrasting their grey surroundings and symbolising the larger gap between the country's expectations and harsh realities.
