“No-one can change the past Helena. If I could, I would. Of course I would.”
Two women. A deserted hotel lounge at the dead of night. A seemingly random reunion.
Ruth and Helena meet, seemingly by chance, in the lounge bar of The Clevedon Hotel, Bayswater at 3am on a cold, foggy January morning. Ruth, a paediatric neurosurgeon, and Helena, a children’s book illustrator, were once best friends who met at university.
A case of ‘opposites attract’, sexually liberated former punk princess Helena, and mother’s girl from the home counties Ruth seem to have fallen out over the man to whom they were, at different times, married. Now both 65 years old and estranged for more than 25 years, their reunion seems at first to have happened by chance. But has it?
The Dawn of Reckoning is a powerful two-hander about friendship, loss, guilt and the possibility of finding a second chance when and where it’s least expected. By turns moving and comic, this new play from critically acclaimed Mark Bastin asks the question: How do we move on from tragedy when the hardest person to forgive is ourself?
The world premiere of The Dawn of Reckoning is produced by MBA Productions and directed by award-winning director Matthew Parker. Written by Mark Bastin, author of five-star, award-nominated To Have and To Hold it stars multi award-nominated Jilly Bond (National Theatre, Birmingham Rep, Lowry, BBC) as ‘Ruth’ and Bryonie Pritchard (Shakespeare’s Globe, Old Vic, New Vic) as ‘Helena’.
Matthew Parker says, ‘This gorgeous new play from award-nominated Bastin is by turns moving, funny and surprising… As a Director, I am drawn to telling the stories of characters who have a richness of experience, and this beautifully written play really captured my imagination. We often hear about a lack of parts for older women, but this story of two women in their 60s places them firmly centre stage.’
White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4DJ from 17 – 28 March 2026
Tues – Sat at 7.30pm
Booking and full details: https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/the-dawn-of-reckoning
