Alan Brody’s Operation Epsilon to make UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse

Alan Brody’s hit play Operation Epsilon is to make its UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse this autumn.

Directed by Andy Sandberg, who helmed the world premiere in the U.S., the London production runs at Southwark Playhouse Elephant on 20 September – 21 October, with previews from 15 September, and runs until 21 October.

Making up the cast are Nicholas Armfield (Horst Korsching), Jamie Bogyo (Carl Friederich von Weizsäcker), Simon Bubb (Major T.H. Rittner), Simon Chandler (Max von Laue), Matthew Duckett (Erich Bagge), Jake Mann (Karl Wirtz), Olivier Award winner Nathaniel Parker (Otto Hahn), Peter Prentice (Paul Harteck), Leighton Pugh (Walter Gerlach), Simon Rhodes (Kurt Diebner) and Gyuri Sarossy (Werner Heisenberg).

It’s the close of World War II – the dawn of the atomic age. The Allies have captured Germany’s ten foremost nuclear scientists and sequestered them deep in the English countryside to ascertain the answer to a life-or-death question: how close are the Nazis to making an atomic bomb? The world stands on the precipice of creation and destruction, bound by the gravity of their decisions which hold the power to change the course of history.

Based on actual transcripts of secretly recorded conversations – Alan Brody’s gripping play delves into the darkest corners of human ingenuity, exploring the intimate conflict within the hearts and minds of luminaries with unimaginable power. A once-classified true story buried in the archives amidst an epic war, Operation Epsilon is a poignant, thrilling exploration of the ties that bind us to our actions, our decisions, and one another.

The production has set design by Janie Howland, costume design / associate set design by Beth Colley, lighting design by Clancy Flynn, sound design by Chris Drohan and casting by Lucy Casson.

“The whole process of writing Operation Epsilon from its very inception has been a labor of love,” said playwright Alan Brody. “I’m thrilled that the play will now have a life in London, and especially at this time in history.”

Andy Sandberg added: “We are beyond thrilled to be staging Operation Epsilon in a new production for London. It’s been an honour to collaborate with Alan Brody on this play’s development and extraordinary journey for over a decade now. It feels particularly fitting to present Operation Epsilon in the country where the play is set, and the subject is more relevant today than ever as we grapple with the inherent conflict between scientific advancement and its ethical consequences.”

For more information and tickets, visit southwarkplayhouse.co.uk