The Freshwater Five

In 2011, five fishermen on the Isle of Wight (Jamie Green, Jon Beere, Daniel Payne, Scott Birtwistle & Zoran Dresic) were sentenced to a total of 104 years for conspiracy to import £53m worth of cocaine. They have always professed their innocence.

Inspired by the wildly popular Guardian Today in Focus 6-part podcast series of the same name, Liam Patrick Harrison’s stageplay, produced by the award-winning production company Deadman (Artistic Director Samuel Bossman), launches a detailed and rich theatrical investigation into the men’s tragic downfall.

Through spectacular storytelling, verbatim accounts, inventive stagecraft, poetry and song, the South Coast cast delves into subjects of classical & contemporary smuggling, deteriorating coastal communities, immigration and folklore interwoven through this ancient profession.