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.
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