The Contingency Plan, Donmar Warehouse

Catastrophic floods threaten the country in an epic drama that feels uncomfortably pertinent. Steve Waters' 2009 two-part play The Contingency Plan was one of the first productions to make the imminent danger of climate change into engrossing theatre.

Waters has drawn on real-life developments in ecological science to update his script for the first major revival of The Contingency Plan, as part of the Donmar Warehouse's 2020 season.

Split into two parts, the play is set in a near future version of Britain, where glaciologist Will Paxton returns from Antarctica to Norfolk with news that a deadly flood is coming.

Part one, On The Beach, sees Will trying to make sense of the grave danger posed by rising sea levels and to reconcile with his father, a retired glacial scientist whose own promising career was unexpectedly cut short. Then part two, Resilience, follows Will to Westminster as he and civil servant Sakira try to lobby the Tory government into taking the threat seriously and arranging a contingency plan for all those at risk.

The plays need to be seen together and, as such, the Donmar booking system only allows you to book tickets for both productions. You can book to see On The Beach and Resilience over consecutive evenings or double up in one day with a matinee and evening performance. Click here for the full schedule of performances.

General booking for The Contingency Plan opens on Wednesday 5 February