The UK première of Alan Brody’s award-winning play Operation Epsilon has been announced today. Inspired by actual transcripts that were secretly recorded and then held classified for many decades, Operation Epsilon tells the true story of Germany’s ten foremost nuclear scientists who were rounded up and held captive by the British and American forces toward the end of World War II. While there in England, these men learned that that the Americans beat them to the atomic bomb.
Directed by Andy Sandberg, who helmed the world premiere in the U.S., the London production opens at Southwark Playhouse Elephant on 20 September, with previews from 15 September, and runs until 21 October.
“The whole process of writing Operation Epsilon from its very inception has been a labor of love,” said playwright Alan Brody. “I’m thrilled that the play will now have a life in London, and especially at this time in history.”
Andy Sandberg said today, “We are beyond thrilled to be staging Operation Epsilon in a new production for London. It’s been an honour to collaborate with Alan Brody on this play’s development and extraordinary journey for over a decade now. It feels particularly fitting to present Operation Epsilon in the country where the play is set, and the subject is more relevant today than ever as we grapple with the inherent conflict between scientific advancement and its ethical consequences.”
It’s the close of World War II – the dawn of the atomic age. The Allies have captured Germany’s ten foremost nuclear scientists and sequestered them deep in the English countryside to ascertain the answer to a life-or-death question: how close are the Nazis to making an atomic bomb? The world stands on the precipice of creation and destruction, bound by the gravity of their decisions which hold the power to change the course of history.
Based on actual transcripts of secretly recorded conversations – Alan Brody’s gripping play delves into the darkest corners of human ingenuity, exploring the intimate conflict within the hearts and minds of luminaries with unimaginable power. A once-classified true story buried in the archives amidst an epic war, Operation Epsilon is a poignant, thrilling exploration of the ties that bind us to our actions, our decisions, and one another.
Directed by Andy Sandberg and featuring an exceptional cast of eleven, this award-winning and thought-provoking play makes its UK première at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the critically acclaimed US production. Filled with explosive possibilities, Operation Epsilon shines a light on the ethical complexity of scientific discovery… and its potential for catastrophic consequences.
