The River is a large-scale theatre play requiring a strongly physical playing style. It has multiple narratives that are designed to flow and interconnect like tributaries. These narratives allow the audience to see the river from different perspectives. Although The River is about the Manawatu River in the North Island of New Zealand, it concerns all rivers that have been subject to pollution and the effects of intensive farming. It can be adapted to suit most locations where there are concerns about river ecology. It is about the people, past and present, who have lived off the river’s bounty and died in its arms.