The Children

The play opens on a summer evening in a small cottage on the English coast. Rose is sitting on a chair with a bloody nose and it soon becomes clear that Hazel hit Rose in the face, falsely believing her old friend to be an intruder. Hazel had heard that Rose had died so her appearance is rather a shock. Rose catches up on Hazel’s family as the two women have not seen each other for over thirty years while Rose worked in America. Yet, Rose still seems to be strangely familiar with the layout of the cottage. As the two women continue to catch up, Hazel reveals that, while she might be a grandmother, she is determined not to give in to old age.

Hazel begins to describe the meltdown of the local nuclear power station and the devastation it caused to the area. Water and electricity are now limited, and the air is affected by radiation. Rose, Hazel, and Hazel’s husband, Robin, all worked at the plant when it was created and they share memories of the plant’s early days. Slightly tensely,