Battle Cry to the Edinburgh Fringe 2022

Madam Renards presents Battle Cry

by Matt Fox

“For those who’ve witnessed the worst things imaginable, the world can never be the same again; and for those that haven’t the least we

can do is listen”

This is the story of Adam, a British soldier who after 25 years of service now suffers with

PTSD. Finally, he has agreed to attend a

support session…but why doesn’t he want to

talk about it? Maybe discussing the details

hasn’t helped in the past? Maybe he feels

misunderstood? Maybe he’s just not a guy who talks about his feelings? Or…maybe talking

and reliving it is part of the problem? Adam

feels alone and alienated; he believes that no

one can possibly understand the problem as

they weren’t there. They didn’t see the things

he saw…it doesn’t come flooding back to them every time they close their eyes…

Some wounds are invisible. Adam’s certainly

are. But is this a story where all hope is lost. Or could there be a future for Adam?? Maybe

being heard is the first step?

Battle Cry is a play which gives a chance for

such voices to be heard. Adam tells a story

that will strike a chord with every military

sufferer of PTSD, based on the true story of

real-life people whose lives have been torn

apart by the condition. The play is stark, uncompromising and most importantly genuine…as

only true authenticity is appropriate for such

subject matter.

Through diligent research with PTSD sufferers, Matt Fox & Steve Cowley have distilled the

poignant, universal truth from the voices of

many who have and do suffer every day from

the effects of this condition. Battle Cry creates an authentic fiction from fact that will speak to every PTSD sufferer. This play is desperately

needed as even now, these sufferer’s voices

are not being heard. Why? Is it part of the

training? Is it culture? Or are military personnel just expected to keep this quiet? Maybe the

world believes they wouldn’t make good

soldiers if they dealt with the emotional

ramifications of their day job? Battle Cry is not a political piece of work; we make no

comment on why these people have had to do the job they do. Rather we look at the results

of these decisions, to speak to a wide audience and bring about awareness of this most

pressing of issues through storytelling. A true, emotive human story being the most powerful way to get this message out. These soldiers

shouldn’t have to explain themselves, but the world needs to hear their story.

We are thrilled to be finally returning to a live

theatre after an unimaginably difficult period

for the industry. We kept ourselves busy during the lockdown with writing, developing and

online performances, but nothing compares to the experience of standing in the same room

as your audience and delivering a play, Last

years successful tour of Battle Cry allowed us

to talk, engage with and positively effect so

many Veterans and people living with and

experiencing mental health problems that we can’t wait to visit many more places in 2022

and share experiences with so many others.

Battle Cry is an intense, emotive piece that

brings the audience right into the mind of a

man on the brink. The pandemic has brought mental health to the front of everyone's mind,

and we can't think of a better time, place and

platform than the Edinburgh Fringe to make

us all realise that it’s ok to not be ok.

We hope our audience revel in the unique

experience of a live performance and

remember why theatre matters and impacts us all so much.