Life Raft

In a mysterious dystopia, against a backdrop of war, a life raft filled with children is adrift at sea – their passenger liner sunk by an unknown and unseen enemy.

As darkness falls and their rations dwindle, fear, superstition and madness start to take hold. Hours turn into days, and it becomes clear that not all of them will make it back to dry land alive...

Life Raft is a thrilling contemporary adaptation of The Raft of the Medusa, Georg Kaiser's 1945 play, written during his exile from Nazi Germany, and inspired by a terrifying true story.

Written by Fin Kennedy in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic's acclaimed Young Company, and originally performed by them under the direction of Melly Still, this large-cast play for young actors is a dark study in the psychology of survival – and an urgent allegory for our times.

This definitive edition of the play is accompanied by a series of interactive games specially created by award-winning games designer Tassos Stevens, allowing young people a deeper exploration of the play’s themes, and the opportunity to create their own new stories inspired by the scenario.

Fin Kennedy is an award-winning playwright whose plays are regularly produced in the UK and abroad. He also teaches, blogs, campaigns, fundraises and dramaturgs other writers – with a particular focus on young people’s projects in London’s East End. Since November 2013, he has been Artistic Director of touring theatre company Tamasha. He is a graduate of the MA Writing for Performance programme at Goldsmiths College, London. His first play Protection was produced at Soho Theatre in 2003, where he was also Pearson writer-in-residence. His second play How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found won the 38th Arts Council John Whiting Award, and was produced at Sheffield Crucible in 2007. It has since been produced in London, America and Australia and become a firm favourite with student and amateur performance groups. It is among Nick Hern Books’ most licensed plays. Fin’s first two plays for teenagers, Locked In and We Are Shadows were produced by Half Moon Young People’s Theatre in 2006 and 2008 and toured nationally, the first in a long track record of writing for young people. Since 2007 Fin has been writer-in-residence at Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets, where he co-founded Mulberry Theatre Company, for whom he has written seven plays. Mehndi Night (2007), Stolen Secrets (2008), and The Unravelling (2009) all premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, while The Urban Girl’s Guide to Camping premiered at Southwark Playhouse in 2010. All are published by Nick Hern Books in The Urban Girl’s Guide to Camping and other plays. His fifth play for Mulberry School, The Dream Collector, was the inaugural production in Mulberry’s new onsite theatre in October 2013, while the sixth, The Domino Effect, premiered at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Both are published in The Domino Effect and other plays for teenagers. Mulberry Theatre Company made history in 2009 when they were awarded a Scotsman Fringe First for The Unravelling, the first time a British state school has ever received one. He also writes for radio and has had three Afternoon Plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4 including The Good Listener, a returning series set inside Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). As well as writing plays, Fin also has many years of experience teaching playwriting. Whilst Associate Artist at Tamasha he founded Schoolwrights, the UK’s first playwrights-in-schools training scheme. As Artistic Director, he has launched Tamasha Play

Friedrich Carl Georg Kaiser, known as Georg Kaiser, (1878–1945) was a German dramatist. His plays include The Burghers of Calais, From Morn to Midnight and The Raft of the Medusa.

Tassos Stevens is an (ex-)psychologist, storyteller, and playmaker sparking change, with over twenty-five years of experience in the creative and social change sectors. He is a critically-acclaimed theatre-maker and BAFTA-winning game-maker with a PhD in Psychology.

He is the founder and director of Coney, an arts and social change charity based in Tower Hamlets and Gloucester, working across the UK and internationally.