Production & Creative

Shell Shock is one soldier’s story of coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Tommy Atkins’ observations on life on civvy street are poignant, frequently comic and always moving. His over-emotional responses to post office queues, a trip to Ikea, his relationships and family lead to alienation and anger. Drawn from personal experience, Neil Watkin’s writing is “affecting, vernacular and direct”, the performance is “deeply engaging and haunting”. The story, adapted from the original novel Shell Shock: The Diary of Tommy Atkins, highlights the work of charities Combat Stress and Help For Heroes.

The pilot tour featured Tom Page, a former pupil at Eastbourne College and a wonderfully talented young professional actor, having appeared in a number of TV commercials and the BBC crime drama series, Cuffs. Since this short tour we have developed the piece further to be performed by an older actor, representing a veteran from operational service more often forgotten or less popular in the media today, such as Northern Ireland, the Falklands, the Balkans and Desert Storm (Iraq I).