Oppenheimer

The scene? It's 1939 and Fascism is creeping steadily and unstoppably across Europe. General Franco is threatening Barcelona and at the same time a couple of German chemists have just cracked the sticky problem of nuclear fission. These are dangerous times and theoretical physicists in the USA are horrified by the potential of Germany's new scientific discoveries.

Nuclear weapons harness the same raw power that created the universe. They're absolutely deadly. And the charismatic, fascinating scientist J Robert Oppenheimer is uniquely placed to take the lead in the race towards nuclear supremacy. He casts off his radical past to build a devastating weapon which will change the world forever in ways the protagonists would never imagine.

The hope was that the new device would not only end the Second World War but put a stop to all wars. The resulting play by Tom Morton-Smith reveals the darkly beating heart of the legendary Manhattan Project, delving into the terrible tension between scientific advances and their use for war. If you'd love to explore the personal cost of making history, this one's for you. A brilliantly intelligent and perceptive drama.