After the huge success of For King and Country last year it is returning once again to London – this time with a second show alongside it. Both set in the same alternate-history Britain with the same characters these two shows are very different in feel. In “For King and Country: 1940” the audience set up a government and war cabinet to lead the country in the middle of a Nazi invasion, while in “For King and Country: 1944” the audience become the British resistance leadership taking on the occupying government of the Third Reich as guerrilla insurgents and enabling the Allies to mount a counter-invasion.
Although these two shows stand alone and can be enjoyed independently of each other, there is also the opportunity to book pairs of performances, where the starting point of the sequel is directly linked to the audience decisions and actions taken in the original show. In this way, actions taken in 1940 can directly affect the course of the war in 1944.
In “For King and Country: 1940” the audience direct the defence of Britain from a secret command bunker in central London. In “For King and Country: 1944” the audience are resistance leaders and have to break into the same command bunker that has been commandeered by the Nazi high command, using the valuable intelligence they find there to guide the Allied forces to victory.
These two shows offer an interactive and immersive experience that fuses theatre and game mechanics to tell a compelling story of a history that came frighteningly close to being real. Both shows put the audience in the driving seat of the narrative, incorporating the
audience’s decisions and actions and building them into the world of the show on the fly. In both shows, the actors have no script – just a strong narrative structure, well-developed and researched characters, and a ton of historical information to draw on. It truly is down to the audience what direction the stories and events take.
The shows can be enjoyed independently of each other, but the best experience is reserved for those who see them back to back, experiencing the far-reaching consequences of difficult political and military decisions that carry over from 1940 into 1944.
Director Owen Kingston comments: “For King and Country is that rare beast – a powerful piece of political theatre and a cracking night out. Now with the addition of a sequel, the story arc of its characters and its alternate-history Britain are complete. Following these characters through the plot’s many twists and turns is sure to be a satisfying experience, as will following the nightly changes in narrative across both halves of the story, all determined by interactions with the audience. Where else can you experience leading a nation in wartime and/or leading a guerrilla insurgency all within the same narrative timeline? There really is nothing else out there quite like it.”
For King and Country will be at COLAB Factory 23rd February – 27th April with shows playing on alternating nights.
