Ivona, Princess of Burgundia Opens At Network Theatre Waterloo

Polish playwright Witold Gombrowicz's Ivona, Princess of Burgundia will open at the Network Theatre Waterloo for a limited four week season on 05 January 2011, with press night on 05 January 2011. Ivona, Princess of Burgundia is directed by genre specialist Kos Mantzakos, with designs by Charlotte Randell, lighting by Gareth Howells, costumes by Josie Martin and features music by Chopin, Preisner, Oginski, Jarzebski, and Lutoslawski. Ivona, Princess of Burgundia, is produced by the Sturdy Beggars Company and Hugo Thurston as part of the Sturdy Beggars Brain Drain Season - Lost Gems by Eastern European Masters: Gombrowicz, Stratiev and Molnar.

Terminally bored, Crown Prince Philip decides to propose to the most repulsive girl in the kingdom - the mute, sickly Ivona. Her silence holds up a mirror to others' hidden vices; her ugliness provokes disgust and desire in equal measure. Set in a seething, gossiping, corrupt Royal Court the play explores the ridiculous (and ultimately deadly) consequences of this impulsive betrothal...

With its scatological humour, deliberately florid language, biting social satire and all-male cross-dressing cast, this black comedy is the latest unusual production from the Sturdy Beggars Company. Ivona, Princess of Burgundia is rarely performed in the UK, despite being translated from its original Polish into 33 languages.

The cast of 15 comprises Daniel Addis, Alex Andreou, David Bartlett, Sean Culhane, Ryan Davies, Bjorn Dvori-Avraham, Matt Garill, Christopher Hughes, BrenDan Jones, Zsolt Miklos-Toth, Edward Parkes, Benjamin Reeves, Christ Sims and Tim Slatter.

Alex Andreou's recent theatre credits include The Black Album at the National Theatre and A Golden Age at Southbank, and on film, The Wolfman. BAFTA nominated David Bartlett's roles on screen include Hungry Times and Robin of Sherwood and as an Academy Award shortlisted director his work includes The Goodbye Plane, C5's Trial of the Knights Templar and the BBC's Assassination of JFK. BrenDan Jones is best known for his roles as John Houseman in the BBC's Orson Welles War of the World and the Bellboy in Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things. Hugo Thurston was a founder member of Humphrey Carpenter's Mushy Pea Theatre Company. His acting credits include A Slight Ache, directed by Thea Sharrock at the Gate Theatre.
Sturdy Beggars was founded in 2007 by Artistic Director Alex Andreou. He was joined by BrenDan Jones as Deputy Artistic Director in 2009 and Hugo Thurston as a producer this year. They take their name from the updated version of The Poor Law of 1598, which classified actors as being the lowest grade members of society meaning they were legally referred to as Sturdy Beggars. Ivona, Princess of Burgundia is their sixth production, their previous works comprise William Shakespeare's Othello, Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, Loula Anagnostaki's The City, David Mamet's Boston Marriage and The Outsiders - an evening of new writing comprising of Dummer by J Riches, Late Night Shopping by PB Stantic and For a Button by R Barnett.

LISTINGS INFORMATION IVONA PRINCESS OF BURGUNDY

Advanced Previews Friday 17 and Saturday 18 December at 7.30pm
Tickets £10 (concessions £6)

Dates 05 January 2011 - 30 January 2011

Press Night 05 January at 7.30pm

Performances Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm
Sundays at 4.00pm

Tickets £15 (concessions £8)

Box Office 020 3509 2827

Address The Network Theatre, Underneath Waterloo station, 246A Lower Road, Waterloo. SE1 8SJ

Transport The nearest station is Waterloo
Lower Road is a private road and not on maps. Waterloo Road exit signed to Old Vic, turn right and right again down the first service lane under the arches (next to Paul's patisserie). Network Theatre is 40yds on the left past loading bays.

Website www.sturdy-beggars.com

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