EYES CLOSED, EARS COVERED Opens At Bunker Theatre

Eyes Closed, Ears Covered by Alex Gwyther's (Our Friends, The Enemy) tells the brutal and heartfelt story of two teenage boys as they head to Brighton with a daring plan to relive a special day from four years ago. The world premiere of this darkly funny and painfully tender play will be directed by 2015 What's On Stage award winner, Derek Anderson (Sweeney Todd, Twickenham Theatre).

One in five children in the UK have been exposed to domestic violence. Eyes Closed, Ears Covered explores the repercussions of traumatic events at home and the direct effects these can have on mental health. EastEnders' star Danny-Boy Hatchard, Joe Idris-Roberts (Forty Years On, Chichester Festival Theatre) and Phoebe Thomas (Hetty Feather, Vaudeville Theatre, The Rose Theatre Kingston and UK Tour), will form the original cast of this gripping thriller.

Danny-Boy Hatchard comments, Having had previous experience venturing into the mind of someone who struggles with mental health, I have gained a compassionate understanding into how such a condition can have a dramatic impact on an individual's life. Eyes Closed, Ears Covered explores more of the same, but this time with a direct association to domestic violence, particularly in children. I believe as artists we can always afford to bring more awareness to such an important topic, and this show does just that.

Woking 1986. Monday morning. Seb and Aaron have been planning this day for weeks. They've written their sick notes. They've skimped, saved, scraped and stolen the money where they can. They're actually doing it. They're bunking the day off school.

The poignant play was conceived after playwright Alex Gwyther witnessed two young boys playing truant; the seed of an idea was sewn and Gwyther researched child trauma and psychology to help understand the mindsets of those who had experienced harrowing ordeals. Eyes Closed, Ears Covered aims to raise awareness of the growing scale of domestic violence against women and children and explores the failure of a child's mind to process their past.

The ethos of The Bunker is all about nurturing a performance environment in which audiences can stay after the show to enjoy events, discussions and drinks in the auditorium. Alongside Eyes Closed, Ears Covered, there will be post-show events for every performance including dance responses, spoken word responses, music, director and producer panels. Details of the post-show events will be announced shortly.

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