Chalk Line presents
The Chaos That Has Been
and Will No Doubt Return
Written by Sam Edmunds
BRISTOL OLD VIC
JULY 15th-19th 2025
SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE
SEPTEMBER 3rd-27th 2025
JUMPED UP THEATRE, PETERBOROUGH
23rd October (on sale soon)
MERCURY THEATRE
7th-8th November
CURVE THEATRE (SLOUGH)
13th-14th November
EXETER PHOENIX THEATRE
18th November
UNITY THEATRE
20th November
NORWICH THEATRE
25th-26th November
HAT FACTORY ARTS CENTRE
27th November
“If this town gave out a collective breath of exhaustion, buildings would shake across the whole of England.”
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Two best mates. One HUGE party. Luton pinned by austerity. An evening of noughties bangers and shots of shitty gin mixed with the chaos of violence. A night to remember!
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Following a SOLD OUT Edinburgh Fringe run, Chalk Line presents The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return.
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Set over one chaotic night, the play follows two best friends as they chase the highs of youth against a backdrop of systemic neglect. Painting a tapestry of violence and joy, it is a raw, real- time collision of friendship and survival. Told with biting wit and lyrical intensity, this production is a powerful exploration of class and identity, with a cracking house party that pulses round the corner.
Supported By: Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, The Unity Theatre Trust, Arts Council England and the Peggy Ramsay Foundation.
★★★★★ " A masterclass in storytelling" Theatre Weekly
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★★★★★"Unfolds like an urban epic: its small cast of characters freewheeling through streets and council estates, the fizzing freedom of youth caught against the suffocating constraints of British austerity...it all feels irresistible" Fest Magazine
★★★★ "Playwright Sam Edmunds gives us a teens’-eye view of the town in the 00s with this arresting account of a house party...an eloquent assessment of how fear can result in fury" The Guardian
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★★★★"Think Steven Berkoff’s East crossed with a grimy, anti-lyrical Under Milkwood and you have something of the flavour of this odyssey into the underbelly of Luton. Writer Sam Edmunds sees the life burning furiously inside of them." Lyn Gardner, The Stage
★★★★ "Edmunds paints a vivid picture of the limiting factors on the lives of working-class men, the grinding sense of debt that is passed down from generation to generation, the violence they encounter and have to live with on the street..it's exhilarating" What's On Stage
★★★★★ Ed Fringe Review
★★★★★ Binge Fringe
★★★★★ Corr Blimey
★★★★★ UK Theatre Web
★★★★★ The Real Chris Sparkle
★★★★★ North West End
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★★★★ Three Weeks
★★★★ The Scotsman
★★★★ British Theatre Guide
★★★★ A Young(ish) Perspective
★★★★ West End Best Friend
★★★★ Culture Fix
★★★★ Mervyn Stutter
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WINNER OF BEST NEW WRITING - BESTIES AWARDS - FEST & SKINNY MAGAZINE
WINNER OF BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - OLATUNJI AYOFE - THEATRE WEEKLY
FINALIST FOR THE SIT UP AWARDS WITH THE LIST
GRANT WINNER FOR THE SIT UP AWARDS
FINALIST FOR BEST NEW WRITING STAGEY PLACE AWARDS (PENDING)
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Bristol Cast:
Olatunji Ayofe
Amaia Naima Aguinaga
Elan Butler
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Creative Team:
Written by Sam Edmunds
Co-Directed by Sam Edmunds and Vikesh Godhwani
Set Design by Rob Miles
Sound Design by Matteo Depares
Lighting Design by Sam Edmunds
Movement Direction by Jess Tucker Boyd
Produced by Chalk Line Theatre
Technical Stage Manager Eliott Sheppard
Graphic Design by Chewboy Productions
Poster Image Photography Jenny Forward Hayter