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Collaborators 2011

Run Time:
2 hours 30 minutes (one intermission)
Opened: November 1, 2011
Closing: June 23, 2012

Collaborators - 2011 West End History , Info & More

National Theatre (Olivier)
(Waterloo) South Bank London

Moscow, 1938. A dangerous place to have a sense of humour; even more so a sense of freedom. Mikhail Bulgakov, living among dissidents, stalked by secret police, has both. And then he’s offered a poisoned chalice: a commission to write a play about Stalin to celebrate his sixtieth birthday.



Inspired by historical fact, Collaborators embarks on a surreal journey into the fevered imagination of the writer as he loses himself in a macabre and disturbingly funny relationship with the omnipotent subject of his drama.



Killing my enemies is easy. The challenge is to change the way they think, to control their minds. And I think I controlled yours pretty well. In years to come, I’ll be able to say: Bulgakov? Yeah, we even trained him. He gave up. He saw the light. We broke him, we can break anybody. It’s man versus monster, Mikhail. And the monster always wins.



John Hodge’s blistering new play depicts a lethal game of cat and mouse through which the appalling compromises and humiliations inflicted on any artist by those with power are held up to scrutiny.



Following its successful run in the Cottesloe Theatre, Collaborators is transferring to the Olivier Theatre on April 30 for a limited run.


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Collaborators History

Other Productions of Collaborators

2011   West End National Theatre Production
West End

Collaborators - 2011 West End Awards and Nominations

Note: Award winners will appear on a background
Year Ceremony Category Nominee
2012 Evening Standard Awards Best Actor Simon Russell Beale
2012 Olivier Awards Best New Play Cottesloe Theatre
2012 Olivier Awards Best Performance In A Supporting Role Mark Addy

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