 Peace Child International began during the Cold War as a musical, based on Bernard Benson's The Peace Book, aimed at resolving conflict between the United States and USSR, and at bringing youth from both countries into contact.The first performance was in October 1981 at the Royal Albert Hall, with Susannah York as the narrator.The musical was then taken to the United States, where it was premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in December 1982.