A provincial town is in search of a hero. A shell-shocked soldier downs vodka on his return from the frontline in Chechnya. As Ilya arrives home he stumbles into the epicentre of an extraordinary power struggle that threatens to tear the town apart.

In this darkly comic and free-wheeling epic, the Durnenkov Brothers get to the heart of small town politics and what it means to please all of the people all of the time.

Jonjo O'Neill takes the role of Ilya following his performance as Orlando in As You Like It earlier in the season. Jonjo rejoins the RSC following his acclaimed performances in the 2005 Gunpowder Season, whilst his other credits include Rupert Goold's recent productions of King Lear with Pete Postlethwaite and Faustus at Hampstead Theatre.

The Drunks is directed by recently appointed RSC Literary Associate Anthony Neilson. An acclaimed writer and director, Anthony's previous work for the RSC includes God in Ruins (Soho Theatre).

Mikhail Durnenkov is the author of fifteen plays and his critically acclaimed work has been seen at many new writing festivals. His brother Vyacheslav has written over twenty plays, some in co-authorship with Mikhail. He has won several awards for his work, which has been seen in several countries, including at the Moscow Arts Theatre.

Nina Raine's debut play Rabbit opened at the Old Red Lion, before playing in the West End and New York. She was awarded the 2006 Critics' Circle Award and the Evening Standard's Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright.