Donkey heart - Moses Raine

What's a free telephone, when there are no private words?

Moscow, now. A small flat. One family, three generations, the same hangover. Life after communism is utterly different and yet somehow eerily familiar. Petya's dodging the draft, Sasha's jumping with every ring of the bell, Ivan's brought a mysterious stranger home, and now their guest Thomas is asking questions. Who do you trust? The state may not be spying on you, but can you say the same for your nearest and dearest?

Tracing the legacy of communism, Moses Raine's Donkey Heart asks what a modern Russia stands for, as the deep bruise of history, once hidden, now works its way to the surface. The play premiered at the Old Red Lion, London, in May 2014.

Moses Raine wrote Shrieks of Laughter at the age of 21, commissioned as part of Soho Theatre's Writers' Attachment Programme 2005. He was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award 2004 for The Survival Handbook.