"I've listened to all the stories of my generation, then watched 'em get sick or fade away. And it wasn't this world that killed 'em. It was the other...the memory of it." Britain, the near future. Much of the country is underwater and the government has been reduced to a group of fascist strongmen. In a rural outpost of the state, the men patrol the moors for illegals whilst the women run a self-sufficient farm to provide what all they need to survive. The living conditions are harsh, every meagre ration is grown from scratch and they must battle with inclement weather and a draconian government. As their numbers dwindle, they struggle to retain a semblance of civilisation in the face of the inevitable onset of global war. Stark and imperative, but shot through with a sense of warm compassion, Beth Steel's debut play Ditch is a clear-eyed look at how we might behave when the conveniences of our civilisation are taken away, and a frightening vision of a future that could all too easily be ours. Ditch is a brutal and uncompromising play, with a grounded, earthy sense of humanity. The result is both heart-rending and chilling, depicting a convincing, bleak vision of the future.

'Debut playright Beth Steel offers a Children of Men-esque vision of a bleak England in the near future, scrapping for survival after some enormous catastrophe.' Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard, 20.05.10 'Steel creates a believable group of characters and makes the dynamics between them absorbing' Sarah Hemming, Financial Times, 21.05.10 Steel's dialogue is forceful and often funny' Siobhan Murphy, Metro (London), 21.05.10 'Steel's text is an evocative mix of farm metaphors, punchy dialogue and moments of dreamy wistfulness' Aleks Sierz, Tribune, 28.05.10

Beth Steel is a new playwright currently on attachment to Theatre 503, London as one of their prestigious 503Five Writers group. This is her first full-length play.