Playwright and raconteur (what else would you call a man orphaned by his prostitute mother, who grew into a thief, before finding his niche as a controversial and often banned writer?) Jean Genet's THE MAIDS (translated by Martin Crimp) is a peculiar and provocative one act whose images stay with you long after its 90 minutes are finished. It's an interesting take on the separation of the classes, focusing on the maids of a wealthy mistress and the humiliation she submits them to, although we only briefly glimpse this. The play shows two different reactions to this abusive behavior, and tells its story mostly through the playacting of the maids themselves. It's a fascinating and rarely seen work that's well worth your time, and Upstream Theater's current production is helped by three stellar performances and sharp, incisive direction.
Premiere hatte das Stück von Botho Strauß 1978. Legendär das Ganze - Schaubühne Berlin, Edith Clever als Lotte, Regie Peter Stein. Wie keine zweite Figur ist Strauß' Lotte zum Sinnbild der alten BRD geworden. Westdeutschland war das damals, dazu noch das halbe Berlin. Und alle, die drin leben, mehr oder weniger arrangiert, wohlsituiert, seltsam heimatlos. Dazwischen irrlichtert Lotte, „the holy fool', wie der Sydney Morning Herald schreibt, der heilige Narr, in dem sich alles spiegelt. „Breathless', für einen Augenblick atemlos still, ist der Saal nach der Premiere in Sydney gewesen. Das macht neugierig auf die Verwandlung, die mit dem Stück in der Bearbeitung des englischen Dramatikers Martin Crimp geschehen ist. Es ist, als ob man etwas scheinbar Vertrautes durch die umgekehrte Seite des Fernglases betrachtet. Alles rückt ins Jetzt, in dem vieles ähnlich und doch eigentlich alles anders ist. „Bekannte Gesichter, gemischte Gefühle.' Cate Blanchett war 2008 mit ihrer Inszenierung von Blackbird bei den Ruhrfestspielen. Damals wurde die Idee zu diesem faszinierenden Projekt geboren.
The 64th annual Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, under the leadership of General Manager Bernard Foccroulle, will open on July 5 and run until July 27, 2012, featuring a diverse menu of seven opera and musical theater productions, seven orchestral concerts, five solo recitals, seven intimate chamber music performances, two world music programs, and more than thirty events from the 15th annual European Academy of Music. The Festival's wide-ranging events unfold in nine extraordinary venues, many of them open-air, in and around the picturesque ancient Provencal city: castles, a cathedral, a basilica, a palace courtyard, a historical site dating back to the 11th century BC, and an 18th century theatre transformed from a «jeu de paume» court where Louis XIV played in 1660.
Writers' Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, continues its 20th Anniversary Season with Hesperia by Randall Colburn, directed by Associate Artistic Director Stuart Carden.
The Play Company will present the U.S. debut of WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY, which the company will present in collaboration with Mexico City-based Por Piedad Teatro.
Writers' Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, continues its 20th Anniversary Season with Hesperia by Randall Colburn, directed by Associate Artistic Director Stuart Carden.
The Play Company will present the U.S. debut of WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY, which the company will present in collaboration with Mexico City-based Por Piedad Teatro.
London 2012 today launched the programme for the London 2012 Festival, a spectacular 12-week nationwide celebration bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK, opening on Midsummer's Day 21 June and running until 9 September 2012.
The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) will begin previews for KING LEAR, directed by James Macdonald, on Tuesday, October 18. KING LEAR will run through Sunday, November 20 in The Public's Newman Theater with an official press opening on Tuesday, November 8.
The Public Theater announced complete casting today for KING LEAR, directed by James Macdonald, beginning preview performances on Tuesday, October 18. Kristen Connolly (Cordelia), Bill Irwin (The Fool), and Frank Wood (Cornwall) will join the company that includes the previously announced Che Ayende (Duke of Burgundy/Knight/Servant), Craig Bockhorn (Doctor), Michael Crane (Oswald), Herb Foster (Old Man/Knight), Seth Gilliam (Edmund), Enid Graham (Goneril), Michael Izquierdo (King of France), Michael McKean (Gloucester), Arian Moayed (Edgar), Kelli O'Hara (Regan), John Douglas Thompson (Kent), Richard Topol (Albany), and Sam Waterston (Lear).
This summer, the students in Site-Specific Directing at Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) have staged theatre all over New York City: from Shakespeare in Central Park to Chekhov on the Staten Island Ferry. The directors concluded their class this week by fully producing five new short plays in and under the High Line Park in Manhattan.
The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) announced additional casting today for KING LEAR, directed by James Macdonald, running October 18 - November 20 in the Newman Theater with an official press opening on November 8. Che Ayende (Duke of Burgundy/Knight/Servant), Craig Bockhorn (Doctor), Michael Crane (Oswald), Herb Foster (Old Man/Curan), Seth Gilliam (Edmund), Michael Izquierdo (King of France), Arian Moayed (Edgar), Kelli O'Hara (Regan), and Richard Topol (Albany) will join the previously announced Enid Graham (Goneril), Michael McKean (Gloucester), John Douglas Thompson (Kent) and Sam Waterston (Lear). Single tickets, priced at $75-$85, go on sale Tuesday, August 9. Member tickets are $40 and are on sale now.
The Public Theater has announced initial casting today for KING LEAR, directed by James Macdonald this fall. Michael McKean, John Douglas Thompson and Enid Graham will play Gloucester, Kent and Goneril, respectively, joining the previously announced Sam Waterston as King Lear. KING LEAR will run October 18 - November 20 in the Newman Theater. Member tickets are $40; Single tickets, priced at $75-$85, will go on sale in August.
The Private Theatre's Summer Scene Intensive consists of 6 rigorous weeks of class. It is designed to work through three genres of scene study: Classical (Shakespeare, 15th Century drama, etc.), 19th & 20th Century (Chekhov, Ibsen, Shaw, etc.), and Contemporary scenes. Everyone will work during every class and it is expected that everyone rehearse outside of class. The final class will be open to the public.
Legacy of Light, a new play by Karen Zacarias, anchors the sixth annual FusionFest of new work and completes the Cleveland Play House's 84-year run at 8500 Euclid Avenue.
Legacy of Light, a new play by Karen Zacarias, anchors the sixth annual FusionFest of new work and completes the Cleveland Play House's 84-year run at 8500 Euclid Avenue.
