The Contingency Plan (2009 edition)

A double bill of plays from the frontline of climate change - an epic portrait of an England of the near future, in the grip of unprecedented and catastrophic floods.

In On the Beach, Will Paxton, a glaciologist, returns from months in Antarctica to tell his parents that he will take up a role within Government. Thirty years ago, his father silenced his own radical thinking on climate change. Yet behind the reunion with his father lies thirty years of secrecy and bitterness. As the truth surfaces, the family is torn apart, and Will's parents must face the rising tide alone.

In Resilience, the Tory Government that has just come to power wants radical answers to the imminent floods. Their newly appointed expert, Will Paxton, puts an extreme scenario on the table: England, from its coastline to its capital, faces catastrophe.

Impressive in scale and chilling as a prediction of our immediate future, the two plays are complementary but can also stand alone.

Steve Waters' The Contingency Plan was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in April 2009. This edition contains the text of that original production.

Also available: a later edition containing the revised text performed in the 2022 revival at Sheffield Theatres.