On a farm, in a village, on the fringe of Europe, life is simple but hard. When the sweeping forces of war and progress pass through, Lizaveta must run for her life. Finding shelter on an old woman's farm, she tries to piece her life back together. But her past catches up with her and she must keep moving.

Her journey through a land of mud and blood, icon painters and holy fools, takes her across continents to the other side of the world. Through Lizaveta's eyes familiar places and notions of love, family and identity become distant and strange.

Cannibals is a bold and unique play by Manchester playwright, Rory Mullarkey. It is his first full-length play, written while he was Pearson Playwright in Residence at the Royal Exchange in 2011.

Rory Mullarkey was appointed Pearson Playwright in summer 2011 and joined the Royal Exchange as the Pearson Playwright in Residence. He has studied at the State Theatrical Arts Academy of St Petersburg. A translator of Russian drama, his recent work includes a translation of Remembrance Day by Aleksey Scherbak, produced in 2011 at the Royal Court, London. Other original plays include Single Sex (Royal Exchange); Tourism (Headlong); Come To Where I'm From (Paines Plough); and The Grandfathers (National Theatre Connections, published by Methuen Drama).