Frank McGuinness's Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme begins previews at the Pleasance Theatre on April 5, in a joint production by Jericho Productions and the Pleasance Theatre, directed by James Phillips and designed by David Farley.

In Frank McGuinness' award-winning play, eight volunteers join the British Army to fight for their dream of a Loyalist nation. One, a sculptor, one a preacher, one little more than a child, they are pitched into the rough and tumble of Pal's battalion. We watch as they are forced to face the limits of their idealism and ultimately learn that the one thing that they are prepared to die for is each other. With Ulster on their lips, they march side by side into the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest in the history of the British Army.

The cast includes Doyne Bird, Tony Devlin, Gregory Fox Murphy, Alex Humes, Dominic McHale, JonJo O'Neill, Robin Pearce, David Rolston and Nicholas Sidi.

The play begins previews from April 5, opens April 9 and runs through April 28.

—By Paul Webb Theatrenow