‘All my life – all your life – I’ve struggled with this: was what I did “wrong”?’

The Land of the Living is a powerful historical drama set in Germany in 1945, in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Thomas, one of thousands of children stolen by the Nazis from Eastern Europe during World War 2, is under the care of Ruth, a UN relief worker. Should she try to find his parents or leave him with those he’s grown up with? The choice she makes will shape his life.

Juliet Stevenson features as Ruth in this remarkable and timely new play by David Lan, former Artistic Director of the Young Vic. Immersed in the shapeshifting nature of memory and morality, the production is directed by Stephen Daldry (The Jungle, The Inheritance).

While the characters in the play are fictional, the historical circumstances are drawn from real events. The play was informed by a series of in-depth interviews with the distinguished journalist and historian Gitta Sereny, who worked for UNRRA in southern Germany immediately after the end of the war and wrote extensively about the period.

A National Theatre production – available to stream on National Theatre at Home.

Run time: 2 hours 29 minutes (including a short interval).

Content warning: the events in this production take place in Germany immediately after the end of World War II. The show contains strong language and references to racism, antisemitism, disordered eating, violence against children and displacement (including that of young children).
Please be aware that there will be a number of gunshots during the production and a brief moment of nudity.