Shell Shock
In September the Eastbourne College Drama department, with support from Combat Stress, Help For Heroes and the Armed Forces Network, produced Shell Shock – one soldier's story of coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, observations on life back in civvy street are presented as poignant, frequently comic and always moving. The central character of ‘Tommy’ over- reacts with increasingly violent emotions to post office queues, Ikea, his relationships and family leading him into alienation and anger.
Drawn from personal experience, Neil Blower Watkin's writing is affecting, vernacular and direct. OE Tom Page's performance as ‘Tommy’ was deeply engaging and haunting. The story, adapted from the original novel Shell Shock: The Diary of Tommy Atkins, highlights the work of charities Combat Stress and Help For Heroes, and over £200 was donated to these charities through a post-show collection
