{"product_id":"9781350012462","title":"First Light","description":"\u003ch3\u003eModern Plays\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch3\u003eMark Hayhurst\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerforming Arts \/ Theater \/ Playwriting\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNow. Tonight. Before we're sent back to the front. Take every bit of money you got. Ditch everything else.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJuly 1916. Albert Ingham and Alfred Longshaw are crouched in a muddy, rat-infested trench in France. These sharp and funny young soldiers from a battalion of the Manchester Pals are about to take part in one of the most savage assaults in the history of human warfare, The Battle of the Somme.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheir survival is a miracle. Their company has lost 600 men. Overwhelmed by the sheer horror of the experience, neither of them dare stare extinction in the face again. So, when they are ordered to transfer to the Machine Gun Corps and return to the blood-soaked front line, they decide, for the first time in their young lives, to take their fragile destiny in their own trembling hands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut becoming a deserter, that most embarrassing and shameful sort of fighting man, takes more courage than they ever knew they had.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMark Hayhurst's play is a gripping thriller that exposes the impact of the First World War on soldiers and their families. It follows his acclaimed debut at Chichester Festival Theatre with \u003ci\u003eTaken at Midnight\u003c\/i\u003e in 2014, which transferred to the West End the following year. \u003ci\u003eFirst Light \u003c\/i\u003ereceived its world premiere at Chichester's Minerva Theatre on 10 June 2016.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMark Hayhurst\u003c\/b\u003e has largely written and directed for TV and film. His credits include \u003ci\u003e37 Days\u003c\/i\u003e (BBC2), \u003ci\u003eHans Litten vs Adolf Hitler: To Stop A Tyrant\u003c\/i\u003e (BBC2), \u003ci\u003eTerror! Robespierre and the French Revolution\u003c\/i\u003e (BBC2), \u003ci\u003eLondon's Burning\u003c\/i\u003e (Juniper Communications for Channel 4), \u003ci\u003eThe Man Who Crossed Hitler\u003c\/i\u003e (BBC2), \u003ci\u003eThe Difficult Birth of the NHS\u003c\/i\u003e (BBC2), and \u003ci\u003eThe Somme\u003c\/i\u003e (Darlow-Smithson for Channel 4). His first play, \u003ci\u003eTaken At Midnight\u003c\/i\u003e, received its professional premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2014.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e01 July 2016\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethuen Drama\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781350012462\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaperback softback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e120\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4.32\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51332319740044,"sku":"9781350012462","price":16.16,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_b00ad8f2-83b8-476f-abde-16b49414c026.jpg?v=1783602902","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9781350012462","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}