Second Lost War Play Receives First Revival
As part of its series of events on Remembering World War I, a company of professional actors and University of Hertfordshire students are presenting the first revival of the World War I play ‘The Handmaidens of Death’, written by Letchworth author Maude Deuchar in 1918.
The short play, which takes both a tragic and comic look at the lives and loves of a group of female workers, is a moving reminder of life on the Home Front.
The production is part of the project Staging World War I, led by Reader in Victorian Studies Dr Andrew Maunder in the School of Humanities. It aims to take forgotten World War I plays into schools and the local community.
Andrew said: “We tend to forget that in 1914-18 more people went to the theatre than read poetry but it’s the poetry which has been remembered. The plays, though, give us a real sense of how the War was presented to people and the issues at stake. They’re powerful pieces of theatre designed to entertain an audience but also to scare them, exploiting fears about the effects of the War on those left behind.”
He continues: “The production is part of the University’s interest in the Hertfordshire community and the county’s history, particularly in its Jubilee year. It’s also beneficial to our students as it offers them the opportunity to work with professional actors and directors.”
Brought back to life as the centenary of the War approaches, the plays present another perspective on the conflict to that of well-known poets such as Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.
The play, to be performed in two showings at 2pm and 7pm on Thursday 8 November, will be staged in the Comet Room at De Havilland Sports & Social Club. Admission is free but to reserve a place please email a.c.maunder@herts.ac.uk.