The Falkland Islands, July 2002. Jane has been keeping a secret for 20 years, and amidst the grip of patriotism as the islanders celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, Jane returns to pack up the family home following the death of her mother.
Jane takes the audience on a journey through the Falklands conflict of 1982, which she shared with her younger brother, where isolation and fear became the daily norm.
Toy Soldier is a play about family and survival set against the backdrop of one of the most harrowing conflicts in modern history.
We caught up with Helen Goodman (Co-writer and director) to learn more.
Where did the idea for Toy Soldier originate from?
The idea came from a strong desire to tell the human stories from the 1982 Falklands Conflict. I wanted to explore how families on the islands coped with living through those turbulent 10 weeks, juxtaposed with how a soldier endured the harrowing conflict. I wanted to shine a light on the Falklands conflict because, unlike other wars in modern history - it is not talked about as much (especially in schools) and I wanted to honour the memories of so many who made the ultimate sacrifice.
How would you describe the style of the play?
The style of the play is historical, wartime drama (weaved with a fictious plot line) and very much character-driven and focused. We use digital projections and multimedia to guide the audience through the timeline of the Falklands conflict. We specifically chose to have a minimalist stage set to allow the story to shift seamlessly through different decades.
How did the partnership with Joseph Dewey come about?
Joseph worked for my company in 2017, delivering brilliant drama and acting workshops to young adults. We decided to collaborate and write a play, back in 2021.
How did wearing both hats as co-writer and director shape your process of bringing Toy Soldier from script to stage?
It gave me a very strong and clear vision of how I wanted the piece to develop, alongside giving the actors their space for interpretation within each scene. During the writing process I was able to visualise how each scene would look on stage, and I was very lucky to have an extremely talented cast who could bring my visions (and dreams) to life on stage, back in early 2025.
The play contrasts the public patriotism of the 2002 Queen’s Golden Jubilee with Jane’s private, painful memories of 1982. What drew you to framing her trauma against that specific moment in British history?
We wanted to contrast Jane's memories with the 20th anniversary of the Falklands conflict, which also coincides with the 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations, because immersing Jane in a period of jubilant patriotic celebrations contrasts powerfully with her own sadness; the recent loss of her mother. I remember the 2002 Jubilee celebrations and they ignited a level of patriotism across the UK that was not seen since the year the Queen ascended the throne in 1952. It also came after a brief period in history where the British Royal Family's popularity took a plummet after the events of 1997. Bunting was hung across streets and people danced the night away in the UK, and across other parts of the globe. I imagined how Jane must have felt in June 2002 as she packed up her family home, with the ghosts of the conflict still ever-present within those four walls. It served as a powerful timeframe for me.
How did you approach capturing the sense of geographical isolation and constant fear experienced by civilians in the Falklands, which is often overshadowed by the military narrative?
We were adamant from the outset that this play is merely set against the back drop of the 1982 conflict, and although there are references to key moments in ten-week battle, we ensured the play focused on a small family who were battling through their own struggles and daily trauma. We highlight their confinement, fear and isolation through their narrative and the fraught relationships which exist between the characters. Threading Alejo's story throughout the play allows the audience to see isolation and fear through the eyes of someone who is seen as an enemy by the islanders.
The Union Theatre offers an intimate stage. How will you utilise that proximity to build the atmosphere of a pressure-cooker domestic space during a war?
By putting Toy Soldier on in such an intimate space allows the audience to feel part of the action and feel the fear and trauma of the characters, to almost be in the same room as the siblings when they have their blazing rows, and be on that mountain with Alejo in his desperate pursuit for safety from endless machine gun rounds and mortar. Two of the characters in the play pretend to be soldiers, racing across the islands and we have some great ideas of how they can weave through the audience and bring them into their game.
Jane takes the audience on a journey back to her childhood. How do you direct the transition between 2002 Jane and her memory of 1982 without losing narrative momentum?
By incorporating the clever use of video walls and music, we are able to sustain the momentum and allow the audience to move between 2002, and 1982, then back again, by displaying powerful images from the conflict, contrasted with the peaceful jubilancy in 2002.
The idea came from a strong desire to tell the human stories from the 1982 Falklands Conflict. I wanted to explore how families on the islands coped with living through those turbulent 10 weeks, juxtaposed with how a soldier endured the harrowing conflict. I wanted to shine a light on the Falklands conflict because, unlike other wars in modern history - it is not talked about as much (especially in schools) and I wanted to honour the memories of so many who made the ultimate sacrifice.
How would you describe the style of the play?
The style of the play is historical, wartime drama (weaved with a fictious plot line) and very much character-driven and focused. We use digital projections and multimedia to guide the audience through the timeline of the Falklands conflict. We specifically chose to have a minimalist stage set to allow the story to shift seamlessly through different decades.
How did the partnership with Joseph Dewey come about?
Joseph worked for my company in 2017, delivering brilliant drama and acting workshops to young adults. We decided to collaborate and write a play, back in 2021.
How did wearing both hats as co-writer and director shape your process of bringing Toy Soldier from script to stage?
It gave me a very strong and clear vision of how I wanted the piece to develop, alongside giving the actors their space for interpretation within each scene. During the writing process I was able to visualise how each scene would look on stage, and I was very lucky to have an extremely talented cast who could bring my visions (and dreams) to life on stage, back in early 2025.
The play contrasts the public patriotism of the 2002 Queen’s Golden Jubilee with Jane’s private, painful memories of 1982. What drew you to framing her trauma against that specific moment in British history?
We wanted to contrast Jane's memories with the 20th anniversary of the Falklands conflict, which also coincides with the 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations, because immersing Jane in a period of jubilant patriotic celebrations contrasts powerfully with her own sadness; the recent loss of her mother. I remember the 2002 Jubilee celebrations and they ignited a level of patriotism across the UK that was not seen since the year the Queen ascended the throne in 1952. It also came after a brief period in history where the British Royal Family's popularity took a plummet after the events of 1997. Bunting was hung across streets and people danced the night away in the UK, and across other parts of the globe. I imagined how Jane must have felt in June 2002 as she packed up her family home, with the ghosts of the conflict still ever-present within those four walls. It served as a powerful timeframe for me.
How did you approach capturing the sense of geographical isolation and constant fear experienced by civilians in the Falklands, which is often overshadowed by the military narrative?
We were adamant from the outset that this play is merely set against the back drop of the 1982 conflict, and although there are references to key moments in ten-week battle, we ensured the play focused on a small family who were battling through their own struggles and daily trauma. We highlight their confinement, fear and isolation through their narrative and the fraught relationships which exist between the characters. Threading Alejo's story throughout the play allows the audience to see isolation and fear through the eyes of someone who is seen as an enemy by the islanders.
The Union Theatre offers an intimate stage. How will you utilise that proximity to build the atmosphere of a pressure-cooker domestic space during a war?
By putting Toy Soldier on in such an intimate space allows the audience to feel part of the action and feel the fear and trauma of the characters, to almost be in the same room as the siblings when they have their blazing rows, and be on that mountain with Alejo in his desperate pursuit for safety from endless machine gun rounds and mortar. Two of the characters in the play pretend to be soldiers, racing across the islands and we have some great ideas of how they can weave through the audience and bring them into their game.
Jane takes the audience on a journey back to her childhood. How do you direct the transition between 2002 Jane and her memory of 1982 without losing narrative momentum?
By incorporating the clever use of video walls and music, we are able to sustain the momentum and allow the audience to move between 2002, and 1982, then back again, by displaying powerful images from the conflict, contrasted with the peaceful jubilancy in 2002.
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| Helen Goodman |
Returning to Toy Soldier for its second run, what insights from the initial 2025 audience responses influenced any tweaks to the directing or script?
Our first run of Toy Soldier was very well-received but a few of the audience members did mention that they would have liked to know more about a couple of the characters; their back story and where they got some of their views from, and so I developed areas of the script throughout 2025.
What do you hope contemporary audiences take away about family survival and long-held secrets in the wake of historical conflicts?
We are living in very turbulent times, and tensions have gathered momentum since Toy Soldier's first run in January 2025. I'd hope audiences take away how fragile family bonds can be in the face of any major conflict, and how buried personal trauma can resonate for decades, particularly when it's not addressed. Treasure those close to you, reach out and show them they are loved. We just never know when that could suddenly be taken away from us.
Toy Soldier runs at the Union Theatre in Southwark, London from 3rd to 18th October 2026. For tickets and more information visit The Union Theatre's Website.
You can also follow the show on Instagram: www.instagram.com/toysoldierplay/
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