 | August 2015 Matthew has written additional music and lyrics for THE WHITE FEATHER, a new musical directed by Andrew Keates at the Union Theatre. Georgina Briggs’ brother was one of over 300 allied soldiers executed for cowardice during the First World War. She won’t accept the shame and she won’t let it lie. But as she fights for justice a shocking discovery awaits her. This is the story of THE WHITE FEATHER – A New British Musical, which comes to the Union Theatre for a five week run 16 September – 17 October 2015. Memorials to the soldiers who fought and died in the Great War grace almost every town and village but 306 names are conspicuous by their absence - the men who were executed by their own side. Some were deserters and others were condemned for putting down their weapons in the course of battle but many were suffering from what we know now as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. THE WHITE FEATHER tells the story of one soldier and his suffering and his sister's lifelong fight for a posthumous pardon. It also encounters the issue of homosexuality in the trenches and the potential shame which faced gay soldiers. With powerful songs and a storyline with a twist, this production has a sharp emotional intensity generated by words and music. |
