Private Peaceful promotional image - A child in the foreground, wide-eyed, the silhouet of a soldier against a bright red background behind them

Barn Theatre and BoxLess present

Private Peaceful

by Michael Morpurgo

  • Show Information
  • Company

Based on the best-selling novel by War Horse author Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful tells the story of Private Tommo Peaceful, who looks back on his Devon upbringing, his romance with childhood sweetheart, Molly and the terrible events that saw him taken from this idyllic setting and into the horrors of war.

This new production of Private Peaceful first opened as part of the Barn Theatre’s first outdoor theatre festival, BarnFest, in August 2020. It then transferred to The Barn Theatre in September, making it one of the first major indoor productions in the UK since the COVID lockdown.


This performance is available as a stream-on-demand service, hosted on the Barn Theatre website. You will need to create an InPlayer account if you don’t have one already. Tickets can be purchased in advance and will be valid for your chosen 24-hour window.

Performed by Emily Costello / James Demaine

Based On The Book By Michael Morpurgo 

Adapted by Simon Reade

Directed by Alexander Knott

Associate Director & Movement Director: Zöe Grain

Lighting Design by Sam Rowcliffe-Tanner

Sound Design by Harry Smith

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Private Peaceful

  • Show Information

Private Peaceful relives the life of Private Tommo Peaceful, a young First World War soldier awaiting the firing squad at dawn. During the night, he looks back at his short but joyful past: his exciting first days at school; the accident in the forest that killed his father; his adventures with Molly, the love of his life; and the battles and injustices of war that brought him to the front line.

Winner of the Blue Peter ‘Book of the Year’ Award, Private Peaceful is “as moving as the poetry of Wilfred Owen and as painfully memorable as white-hot shrapnel…”(The Sunday Herald).

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