Trevor Griffiths’s latest play A New World – A Life Of Thomas Paine is a moving story about the life and loves of the author of The Rights Of Man.

A New World – A Life Of Thomas Paine is set in the late 18th century, a time when, on both sides of the Atlantic, the world seems filled with exciting new possibilities for humanity: old yokes can at last be cast off, ancient hierarchies dissolved. Chief among those lighting the fire is the English radical Thomas Paine, a man of great compassion, brutal honesty and a political writer of genius. Whether answering the call of an America chafing under the tyranny of the British Crown, riding the storm of revolutionary France or challenging a conservative backlash in Britain, Paine is at the heart of things, ardent in his search for love and passionate in his pursuit of liberty.

Playwright Griffiths may be best known for his play Comedians which, when it premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse in 1975, transferred to the National Theatre – which was then at the Old Vic – and subsequently the Wyndham’s theatre. His other plays include Real Dreams, Piano, The Gulf Between Us, Thatcher’s Children and Camel Station. Griffiths has filled A New World – A Life Of Thomas Paine with songs, music and the carnival spirit of a world turned upside down.

Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of A New World – A Life Of Thomas Paine is a world premiere.

For more about A New World – A Life Of Thomas Paine, read the First Night Feature.