At this play's heart are two creative spirits, endowed with that particular sensitivity granted to artists, who are sucked into the horror of war. A son, and a mother, both of whom hold the beauty of life at their fingertips, and whose experiences call them to become warriors against the senselessness of war.

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The first of these is Wilfred Owen, young English son and poet who volunteered for his country in the First World War and lost his life fighting amongst the villages of France. The second is Käthe Kollwitz, German mother and artist, whose young son Peter volunteered and also lost his life fighting amongst the villages of France.

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Their mission is to hold alive the concepts of beauty and love so violated by the heinous slaughter of 16,000,000 men.

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As the language of Honour, Homeland and the Just Cause was silenced in the stripped-down reality of war, both artists used their gifts to express stark and haunting truths about killing and loss.

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The many artists who bring their special gifts to this unique three-act production seek to do the same. The three stories, separate yet interwoven, are told through a compelling combination of art forms: dramatic narrative, theatre, commissioned music, solo and choral singing, dance, graphics and film.

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The play’s final act takes war into the mythic realm of story – that powerful land where universal truths can be explored, by all people and for all time. 

Where then shall it end? The drama‘s resolution offers a challenging alternative to the endless cycle of war.