This week Darren and Natalie take on a powerful and wide-ranging episode, exploring Safe Haven, Mother.Dad, A Grain of Sand, and The Olive Boy - four very different plays that confront survival, morality, parenthood and resilience, from global humanitarian crises to deeply personal stories of growing up and finding your way.

Safe Haven

Set in the aftermath of the First Gulf War, Safe Haven charts the brutal suppression of the Kurdish uprising in northern Iraq and the desperate flight of two million people into the mountains. As the world watches in horror, two British diplomats - aided by a Kurdish refugee - battle bureaucracy in Whitehall to force intervention before it’s too late. Written by Chris Bowers, former British diplomat in Iraqi Kurdistan, this sweeping and urgent play brings to life the moral conviction and political courage that led to Operation Safe Haven, an unprecedented humanitarian mission that prevented genocide.

Mother.Dad

A woman checks IDs in a pub doorway. A man sits at his kitchen table with his children. Both are waiting for the same call. From hit company Chronic Insanity, Mother.Dad is a raw, raucous and deeply human new play about love, class, parenthood and the sheer madness of raising a family in the 21st century. Written by rising star Doug Deans, this world premiere was selected from over 800 scripts for Lyric Hammersmith’s open submission and shortlisted by the Bush Theatre, Royal Court and Graeae.

A Grain of Sand

This intimate and devastating one-woman show follows Renad, a young Gazan girl searching for her family while carrying her grandmother’s stories and the myth of the ‘Anqaa’ - the Palestinian Phoenix. Blending folklore with real testimonies from children in Gaza, A Grain of Sand explores war through a child’s eyes, centring resilience, imagination and the right of children to be children. The production is accompanied by Each Child a Light, a powerful collaborative quilt exhibition commemorating children killed in Gaza.

The Olive Boy

Based on Ollie Maddigan’s real-life story, The Olive Boy is a hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age comedy about being uprooted, trying to fit in, and pursuing love against the odds. After sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, a national tour and early acclaim at Camden Fringe, this deeply personal and unexpectedly moving show lands at Southwark Playhouse in its latest chapter.

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