Kandinsky and New Diorama Present THE WINSTON MACHINE in 2022

Kandinsky, a UK-based theatre company with a growing international reputation for their deeply intelligent and beautifully realised work, will premiere new state-of-the-nation play The Winston Machine at New Diorama Theatre from 18 January - 19 February 2022.

At the height of the Blitz, Charlotte is in a passionate affair with a Spitfire pilot, fighting fascism in red lipstick and living each day like her last. Eighty years later, her granddaughter Becky is stuck in her hometown, cooking dinners for her dad and singing old songs at other people's weddings, dreaming of a better time.

The 1940s are more real to Becky than her life, but when a friend moves back to town, she's forced to face the present.

What happens when there's no war left to fight?

Kandinsky bring the stories of the three generations to life - each living in the long shadow of World War Two - with a multi-roling ensemble cast, original score composed by Zac Gvirtman and visually inventive design from Joshua Gadsby & Naomi Kuyck-Cohen - all regular Kandinsky collaborators.

Centred on two parallel love stories from different eras, The Winston Machine explores how we live with the interpretation of history we inherit.

Kandinsky co-artistic directors James Yeatman & Lauren Mooney explain:

'The show is inspired by the UK's fascination with World War Two as a halcyon age of bravery, heroism and romantic adventure. It explores the tensions between this perception and its lived reality for people at the time - as a period of unprecedented and unmatched hardship - as well as its contrast to the present day, at a moment of division, upheaval and collapsing social contract.'

The Winston Machine is commissioned and co-produced by New Diorama Theatre, and is supported by the Boris Karloff Foundation, Thistle Trust, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation and Arts Council England. Additionally, a wraparound engagement programme for the local community in Camden is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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