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1969

Saved

Written by Edward Bond

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director
William Gaskill, Lindsay Anderson & Anthony Page

Dates Performed

Monday 1st September 1969
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs

Play Details

Synopsis

A bleak council estate in 1960s South London, where poverty and disillusionment breed a cycle of violence and indifference.

Pam, a young woman desperate for connection, becomes entangled with Len, a well-meaning but ineffectual young man, and Fred, a charismatic but cruel thug. As their relationships spiral into a web of betrayal and abuse, the play builds to a shocking climax where a group of disaffected youths, including Fred, stone a baby to death in its pram. In the aftermath, Len struggles to find meaning and redemption in a world seemingly devoid of hope or compassion.

Edward Bond’s controversial masterpiece dissects the roots of social alienation and violence with unflinching brutality. Through stark, spare dialogue and moments of searing cruelty, “Saved” paints a damning portrait of a society that has abandoned its most vulnerable members. The play’s infamous baby-stoning scene serves not as mere shock value, but as a devastating metaphor for the death of innocence and humanity in a world governed by poverty, neglect, and systemic failure. Bond challenges audiences to confront the conditions that give rise to such seemingly senseless acts, forcing a reckoning with the true costs of social inequality.

Director(s)

Bill Gaskill

Other productions

Cast & Creative

Cast

Margaret Brady

Cast

Richard Butler

Cast

Tom Chadbon

Cast

Kenneth Cranham

Cast

Brian Croucher

Cast

Patricia Franklin

Cast

Michael Graves

Cast

Billy Hamon

Cast

Malcolm Tierney

Designer

Philip Jordan

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