LIFE BEFORE THE LINE Will Debut at The Cockpit Theatre

Jewish teenagers Esty, Allister, Danny and Sara are sitting in a revision session about to take their GCSEs when the terrorist alarm rings. And this time, it might not be a drill. Trapped in their RS classroom, they have all the time in the world to think.

Life Before the Line follows their perspectives up to this moment, flipping back and forth between the past and present day, tracing the school year through religious festivals, testing friendships and first love. Set in Manchester in 2016 during the rise in antisemitism, Life Before the Line is a deep insight into what it means to grow up during politically charged times.*

Originally performed as a student production at Cambridge University's Corpus Playroom, Life Before the Line received five star reviews, sold out shows and was named one of the top ten productions of the year (Varsity).

Life Before the Line follows the lives of four Mancunian Jewish teenagers growing up during the 2016-17 rise in antisemitism. Although fictional the story was inspired by writer Amy Lever's experiences of going to a Jewish faith school and verbatim interviews conducted with a range of individuals growing up within the Jewish community.

Life Before the Line is a story that celebrates the diversity within the Jewish community as well as the intersection of identity; with characters in the play all being Jewish but also Mancunian, with some characters identifying as LGBTQ+ or being Jewish people of colour and how all these different identities can shape a coming-of-age.

It won the prestigious Cambridge University Edinburgh Fringe Fund - an award in which one student-written script is selected to be fully funded at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Life Before The Line will run at the Cockpit Theatre on 29 January

Photo Credit: Benjamin Nicholson

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