At 7:20 am on 1st July 1916 some 720 men of the 11th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, all recruited from Accrington and its neighbouring towns, went over the top on the first day of the Battle of The Somme.  By 8am 584 of The Accrington Pals were dead.  In this powerfully emotional play, Peter Whelan explores the lives of the people of Accrington and the impact such devastating losses had on the whole community.  Women lost fathers, husbands and sons simultaneously.  It is a story about love, life and loss told in a uniquely theatrical manner that is guaranteed to move any audience.  Playing Up won universal praise for their previous World War one production of Journey’s End in 2008.  Now they return to the topic with another powerful and wonderfully produced drama.