Tom Whiston: Night Mail (Work In Progress)

In the sorting room of a remote post office, a naughty 1940s postman passes time with pranks, letters and telegrams from the future, while waiting for news of the war. It's a fast-talking, absurdist, character comedy with elements of clowning, and packed with jokes, both sensical and non. Tim Whiston of the GPO (like his favourite singer: "G'Peter Ondre") plays games and pranks with the audience to pass the time, while checking his wireless for news of his sister's RAF squadron caught behind enemy lines. Alas, instead, it's a broadcast of The Pirates of Penzance - and not even one with a conductor he respects. Ultimately, the show is a commentary on the way in which we consume information in the modern era - either anxiety-inducing, distressing news from mainstream sources (Tim's wireless), or bizarre stream-of-consciousness absurdity, teeming out of social media (the telegram machine). How we cope - through jokes, through drugs, through despair - is up to us.