Days of Significance - Spring Season - Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

Days of Significance - The War is Out There. The War is Here.

Written by Roy Williams

Directed by Natalie Simone

Performance dates: Sat 28th Feb - Sat 7 March 2026 

Roy Williams's hard-hitting play, "Days of Significance," is a powerful modern drama that uses a classic three-act structure to explore the volatile lives of young British people caught between two different battlegrounds. The narrative follows two young soldiers, Ben and Jamie, and their partners, as they prepare for and endure active service in the Iraq conflict. Act One is set on the streets of an urban English town, filled with drink-fuelled brawls and sexual tension. Act Two shifts violently to Basra, showing the moral compromises and dangers the soldiers face. The final act returns to England for a wedding, revealing the devastating and complex aftermath of their tour on the soldiers and their friends back home.

The play fiercely tackles key themes including the cost of war on young, often ill-prepared individuals, the erosion of moral authority, and the contrast between domestic and military violence, exploring issues of prejudice, nationalism, and revenge. 

The intense content, which includes strong, often obscene language, explicit violence, and mature subject matter, means the play is recommended for mature audiences. 

It is generally considered suitable for ages 16+.

It is notable that the play is an RSC-commissioned response to Shakespeare’s "Much Ado About Nothing," giving a classic framework to a hard-hitting contemporary narrative that critiques the naive values exported to a conflict zone.