24 Feb 22: What a Difference a Day Makes
by Mark Wheeller

Published 22 Dec 26 – available for preorder now

A powerful verbatim play about Ukraine, displacement and the day ordinary lives changed forever

24 Feb 22: What a Difference a Day Makes is a moving new verbatim play by Mark Wheeller, created with Lichfield Cathedral School, about the day Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed lives across Europe.

Using the real words of young Ukrainians, British host families and a school community in Lichfield, the play follows the human impact of 24 February 2022 and its aftermath: fear, upheaval, separation, welcome, misunderstanding and unexpected kindness.

Compassionate, immediate and theatrically direct, 24 Feb 22 explores how global events reach into ordinary homes, classrooms and friendships — and how young people find resilience in the face of unimaginable change.

About the play

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For millions of people, life changed in a single day.

Mark Wheeller’s 24 Feb 22: What a Difference a Day Makes brings together real testimony from those affected by the war and those who responded to it. The result is an accessible and emotionally direct play that helps young performers and audiences engage with recent history through human stories rather than headlines.

Rooted in the experiences of young people, families and a school community, the play offers a sensitive way into conversations about war, displacement, empathy, welcome and the responsibilities we have to one another.

24 Feb 22 is particularly suitable for schools, youth theatres, mixed-age theatre groups and companies looking for urgent contemporary drama with a strong social purpose.

It offers:

• A clear, accessible structure for young performers
• Real testimony and verbatim theatre techniques
• Contemporary themes with direct relevance to students
• Opportunities for ensemble performance
• Strong links to Drama, English, Citizenship, PSHE and contemporary history
• A compassionate approach to difficult subject matter
• A timely exploration of refugees, host families, conflict and community response

As a verbatim play, 24 Feb 22 is ideal for students studying documentary theatre, political theatre, ensemble performance and theatre created from real-life testimony.

The play can support practical and written work around:

• Verbatim theatre and ethical storytelling
• Characterisation from real testimony
• Ensemble staging
• Multi-role performance
• Contemporary theatre practice
• Drama as a response to world events
• The relationship between personal stories and political history

It also offers meaningful discussion points for students considering how theatre can bear witness, build empathy and help audiences understand events that may otherwise feel distant or overwhelming.

This play is suitable for:

• Secondary schools
• GCSE Drama students
• A Level Drama and Theatre students
• Youth theatres
• Mixed-age theatre groups
• Community theatre companies
• Theatre-in-education projects
• Groups interested in verbatim, documentary or issue-based theatre

Mark Wheeller is one of the UK’s most widely performed playwrights for young people. His plays are known for their clear theatricality, emotional honesty and strong connection to real-life events. His work is widely used by schools, youth theatres and examination groups, and includes Game Over, Too Much Punch For Judy, I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die, Hard To Swallow and many more.

CAST: 10 with doubling (up to 24 actors)
DURATION: 50 minutes