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Temporarily halted in their tracks by the pandemic, the aliens are back amongst us in 2021…

“No-one would have believed in the early years of the twentieth century that this world was being watched…”

But we did believe.

We believed that Martians landed in New Jersey. We believed a water tower was an alien war machine. We believed a man walked on the moon. Now we’ve come to believe everything the internet tells us and the end of the world is being broadcast live…

There is nothing more alluring than a good story. When Orson Welles adapted The War of the Worlds, he wanted to create a thrilling radio drama that would ‘feel’ real. In fact, it felt so real that it caused hysteria amongst a public just getting used to the outside world invading their living rooms via the radio. Fast forward to 2021, and the internet has replaced the radio as the medium through which we make sense of the world. We remain just as susceptible …

Inspired by H.G. Wells’ sci-fi novel and Orson Welles’ classic radio play, this legendary science fiction thriller is playfully reimagined for our era of Fake News and ‘alternative facts’.

Originally commissioned by New Diorama Theatre. Co-produced by Brighton Festival and HOME. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Presented by Rhum and Clay Theatre Company and written with Isley Lynn