Don Juan Comes Back from the War

Don Juan’s back from the War and he’s got some catching up to do. Berlin is crumbling, but after years of abstinence, the Don is ready for some debauchery. Amidst political and economic upheaval, Don Juan finds himself increasingly at odds with the man he used to be. Is this notorious lothario about to experience a change of heart?

Odon von Horvath (1901-1938) was born in Fiume, now Rijeka, near Trieste on 9 December 1901. His father being a diplomat, the family moved from country to country. His plays include Tales From the Vienna Woods, Judgment Day, Faith Hope and Charity and Italian Night. Choosing to stay in Germany and document the rise of National Socialism, his work was violently repressed by the Third Reich, and many of his masterpieces including Don Juan Comes Back From The War were never performed until after his death. In later years, he turned to writing novels, and his popular works A Child of Our Time and Youth Without God are considered modern classics.

Duncan Macmillan is formerly Writer in Residence at Paines Plough and the Royal Exchange, plays include Monster (Royal Exchange/Manchester International Festival, winner of two Bruntwood Awards, nominated for Best New Play in the TMA and MEN Awards), The Most Humane Way To Kill A Lobster (Theatre 503), Lungs (Paines Plough/Sheffield Crucible and Studio Theatre Washington D.C.), Sleeve Notes (Various), Platform (Old Vic Tunnels), I Wish To Apologise For My Part In The Apocalypse, Family Tree, And So Say All Of Us (all BBC Radio).