Deep in the Hampshire countryside Edward Thomas, disaffected husband, exhausted father and tormented writer, scrapes a living. In 1913 he meets American poet Robert Frost and everything changes. As their friendship blossoms Edward writes, emerging from his cocoon of self-doubt into one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century. But he makes the drastic decision to enlist, confounding his friends and family. The Dark Earth and the Light Sky, which premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in November 2012, delves into the life of this enigmatic and complex character in an era of change and destruction.

Nick Dear's plays include Lunch in Venice, Power, The Villains' Opera, Zenobia, In the Ruins, Food of Love, The Art of Success, Pure Science, and Temptation. His adaptations include Summerfolk (after Gorky); Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (after Moliere); The Last Days of Don Juan (after Tirso de Molina). His screenplays include Persuasion, The Turn of the Screw, Cinderella, The Gambler, Byron, Eroica and Agatha Christie's Poirot. He has also written extensively for BBC Radio, beginning with his first play, Matter Permitted (1980).