Dogfall

The play travels through time with the central characters of Will, a soldier, and Jack, a medic, appearing in bunker and trench warfare in multiple historical wars; with the play linking the events as one long drawn out war.[1] The play begins in 1916, during the Somme.[1] The battle shifts continuously, and the sky continues to fall... Dogfall depicts the absurdity of war; outside it is literally raining cats dogs, and other animals.

The two men are joined by "semi-pacifist" Alousha, and scenes from other theatres of war, notably the Vietnam War, Nanking, London,[2] Guernica, Northern Ireland, Rwanda, and Guantanamo Bay detention camp are portrayed.[3] The plot is absurd but the themes complex and multi-layered.[2]

The first production of this anti-war play was launched at the Bakehouse Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia from 2 to 17 November 2007. Critic Stephen Davenport described it as a "brilliant play" that was "disturbing and morbidly funny" and "superbly written by Caleb Lewis".[2] US playwright Edward Albee, with whom Lewis had undertaken a two-week workshop, called the play "wonderful".[3]

Dogfall was staged by Iron Age Theatre in Philadelphia, in the United States, in February 2016, directed by John Doyle.[1]