KURSK

“We wanted to bring people into a world that very few of us know about and show how human that world can be,” says Tom Espiner, co-artistic director of Sound & Fury and a performer in their upcoming play Kursk.

Inspired by the tragedy of the eponymous Russian submarine, which sank in 2000, Kursk tells that very real story from the perspective of an imagined British sub sent to spy on Russian war games. “It’s about not only one of the big stories of the cold war but also the smaller, more personal stories. We see what life is like both when you’re on duty and when you’re not,” says Espiner.

Taking place on a stage built to the dimensions of a real submarine and featuring award-winning sound design, Kursk aims to let the audience physically experience the uniquely secretive world of underwater espionage. “There’s a real sense of immersing the audience in the environment of the submarine – to really feel what it’s like.”

On why they chose to use the Kursk tragedy as inspiration for the play, Espiner says, “When the Kursk happened, if you ask any submariner, they would have been desperate to help. It wouldn’t have mattered whose side you were on.”

Oct 6-16, Studio, Sydney Opera House, $36-45, 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com

BY NICK GUNN