Hollyoaks‘ Quinlan in Guernica at Lowry

Former Hollyoaks star Anthony Quinlan stars The Lonely Clouds of Guernica at the Lowry later this month, which explores the obstacles facing soldiers returning home from war in Afghanistan. 

This is the final part of  the series of war plays, written and directed by Justin Macgregor, that began with last September’s sell-out hit The Play That Killed Me. 

Based on true stories and real events, The Lonely Clouds of Guernica tells the story of Ben Walters, a soldier recently returned home from Afghanistan and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Ben’s friends and family struggle to help him reconcile with the past while finding ways for him to embrace the future.

The first two parts of this trilogy of anti-war plays were based on true stories of World War II, from both sides of the Director’s family. The first, The Play That Killed Me, came from his grandfather Hector’s diary, written in the years leading up to the war. The second part, God Wept and the Devil Laughed, picked up the story of his other grandfather, Ron, and great uncles, and their own remarkable wartime journey through North Africa, Italy and onto the liberation of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp.

Speaking about The Lonely Clouds of Guernica, Justin says: “If the first two plays were about my ancestors, this one is about me, about the world I live in, and my own experiences of war, shaped in every way by absent grandfathers who paid the ultimate price for their country and for us.”

The Lowry presents the world première of the play as part of its exclusive series of plays entitled NeverBeenSeen. The NeverBeenSeen series sees The Lowry work with up-and-coming theatre companies to develop exciting new work. The first play in this series was The Play That Killed Me.

The Lonely Clouds of Guernica is at the Lowry from 10 – 12 November.