NOT About Heroes, by Stephen MacDonald, arrives at The Haymarket on Wednesday October 1 and Thursday 2.

Directed by Eliot Giurlarocca, and presented by Blackeyed Theatre in association with South Hill Park, Not About Heroes is the unforgettable story of two of the finest Great War poets, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, from their first encounter in 1917 at the Craiglockhart War Hospital, where both were being treated, to their final meeting in August 1918, shortly before Owen's return to active duty.

Through the letters and poems of these two men, Stephen MacDonald’s acclaimed play paints a vivid and moving picture of their friendship and the conflict that brought them together; their friendship, their inter-dependency, their poetry.

One hundred years on from the beginning of the First World War, Not About Heroes is both exhilarating and uncompromising in its exploration of love, war and a friendship that changed the face of British poetry.

Eliot Giuralarocca directs James Howard, whose credits include the Donmar Warehouse and Royal Shakespeare Company, and Ben Ashton, who has recently worked with the Watermill in Bagnor as well as the RSC, in a production that features music composed by Tom Neill, set design by Victoria Spearing, costume design by Jenny Little and lighting design by Charlotte McClelland.

Director Eliot Giuralarocca said: “The friendship between Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon was forged 100 years ago, in the unique circumstances of the First World War and left us poetry that still burns brightly today. I hope my production of Not About Heroes will give the audience a visceral and sensual theatrical experience that brings their moving story to life”.

Tickets: £17; under 16s & full-time students £11 (includes £1 booking fee)

Box office on 01256 844244, or use the Anvil Arts website anvilarts.org.uk