When Franz's mother escaped to the West with one of her identical twin boys, she left the other behind. Now, twenty-five years later, Karl crosses the border in search of his other half. Mark Ravenhill's visceral new play examines the hungers released when two countries, separated by a common language, meet again.

'[Ravenhill] opts for dreamy expressionism, touches of Absurd Theatre and an allegoric preface and epilogue set in the Californian heart of capitalism.' Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard, 9.3.09 'Ravenhill explores postwar Germany's division and unification through the power battles between twin brothers. The result is fantastically clever and ingenious... Ravenhill's premise is both witty and plausible.' Michael Billington, Guardian, 9.3.09 'Mark Ravenhill's Over There... is based on a brilliant idea: to tell the story of the tension between East and West before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 by personalising both halves of the country as a pair of identical twins.' Aleks Sierz, Tribune, 13.3.09 'It almost amounts to a Lehrstuck, but without any condescension or priggishness in its didacticism...I loved it' Ian Shuttleworth, Financial Times, 10.3.09 a 'fierce little play' Siobhan Murphy, Metro (London), 10.3.09

A programme text edition published to coincide with the world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre, London, on 25 February 2009 Mark Ravenhill's other work has a strong following with his play for young people, Citizenship, having repeat productions at the National Theatre since it was first produced

The Modern Plays series is world famous for containing the work of many of the finest contemporary playwrights. Established in 1959 with the publication of Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey, it remains a series synonymous with the very best in new writing for the stage. Today it features over 1000 plays and continues to grow alongside the staging of new work.