Oppenheimer

1939: fascism spreads across Europe, Franco marches on Barcelona and two German chemists discover the processes of atomic fission. In Berkeley, California, theoretical physicists recognise the horrendous potential of this new science: a weapon that draws its power from the very building blocks of the universe.

Struggling to cast off his radical past and thrust into a position of power and authority, the charismatic J Robert Oppenheimer races to win the 'battle of the laboratories' and create a weapon so devastating that it would bring about an end not just to the Second World War but to all war.

Tom Morton-Smith's new play takes us into the heart of the Manhattan Project, revealing the personal cost of making history.


About the Author
Tom Morton-Smith is a playwright based in the South East of England. He studied Drama at the University of East Anglia, and trained as an actor at LAMDA. He has had readings at the Old Vic, the Hampstead Theatre, the Soho Theatre, the Royal Court, the Trafalgar Studios, the Liverpool Everyman, the Southwark Playhouse, the Arcola and Shakespeare's Globe. In 2006 he was nominated by the Hampstead Theatre to be one of The 50, a writers' group put together by the BBC and the Royal Court to nurture playwriting talent. He was also selected to be part of Paines Plough's Future Perfect group, 2006. Tom was writer-in-residence with Paines Plough 2007/08. His debut play, Salt Meets Wound, opened at Theatre503 in May 2007.