4.48 Psychosis in Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Queens University Players performed 4.48 Psychosis in Belfast from 24-26 Feb 2004.

The director was Miriam Haughton, the producer was Katie Clifford.  The actors were Nicola Bailey-James, Claire Rafferty, Anna Whitwham, Jonny McMillen and Des Kennedy. It was on at the Old Museum Arts Centre (OMAC) Belfast. Click on the image left for details of the theatre.  Thanks to Miriam for the information.

Click here for more rehearsal and production photos

Crave in London, UK: extended run

Crave was back at Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) in London from 3-22 Feb 2004, and then an extended run from 2-5 Mar 2004.

The director was Matt Peover.  The actors were Maya Barcot, Mark Bell, Laura Cameron and Justin Mitchell Davey.

Site visitor Dave says (thanks Dave) "I went to first performance this evening so there was the odd mistake. Even so, it is a very interesting production. A lot of lines brought about roars of laughter from one or two people at a time, but there was no instance of the crowd laughing together. As I suppose that is the intention of the text the performance must be considered a success. I am not entirely convinced that Crave works as a theatrical production, which is possibly why there have been so few attempts at staging the piece in Britain. There is no linear plot or even dramatic action as such. Liquid Theatre have added enough, by their interpretation of the text, to ensure that there is something to look at as well as listen to. In all honesty, however, I would not suggest that anyone should go out of their way to see this production unless they were already a fan of Sarah Kane's work".

Jess on the discussion pages says (thanks Jess):  "I've just come from the BAC production and thought it was very well performed. This Crave is presented in a new way. The characters are in a room with a seated table with bottles of wine and glasses on in one corner, plus a couple of wooden chairs in the middle - we could be in a pub or wine bar, or in the living room of one of the characters. The play is a group conversation. The cast sit, get up, and stand in various attitudes, while speaking the lines as talking to each other in different combinations - sometimes in a pair, sometimes a group of three, occasionally all four. The romantic pairings are still A/C and B/M, but the foursome all interact. Some lines are given a new dimension by being delivered in an emotional tone - excited, impassioned or indignant - especially by C. The two women sometimes touch as though offering each other emotional support; at one point A and M hug while talking to each other, but A then returns to C. Mark Bell makes a reserved, contemplative A. He delivers the famous love monologue piece by piece (pausing before each 'and') in an even, thoughtful tone; he often skulks in corners while the other three are conversing animatedly; only in the final stages does he begin to display more outward emotion. Maya Barcot's M and Justin Mitchell Davey's B make a spirited, tactile couple, and Laura Cameron plays C rather like Jo McInnes played her part in 4.48 Psychosis. I enjoyed this performance, and director Matt Peover is to be congratulated for finding a different way of presenting the play. When Sarah wrote the play without background instructions or stage directions, she intended each individual director to fill in the gaps. Well worth watching."

Blasted USA premiere

The US premiere of Blasted opened in Seattle.  It was by Theater Under the Influence and was on from 20 Feb- 13 Mar 2004.  It was at the Union Garage Performance Center, Seattle.

The director was Matt Fontaine. The actors were Eric Ray Anderson (Ian), Mike Pham (soldier) and Sharia Pierce (Cate). The photos show Ian and Cate.  The photographer is Peter Arthur.

The designers were Jenny Anderson (set), Jennifer Zeyl (costumes), Katie Davis (lights), Sam Doerr (sound), Rob Jones (fights) and Kevin Inouye (effects).  The dramaturge was Stephanie Vella.

The director Matt Fontaine says "Kane makes us deal with the darkest human impulses, and that is a harrowing experience for an actor as well as for the audience. But it's a means to an end. Like all great drama, it is about justice and what it means to be human... Our cast is totally fearless. But despite all the terrible things that happen in Blasted, Sarah Kane's wonderful, dark sense of humor makes it compulsively watchable. It's also one of the most elegantly constructed plays I've ever had the pleasure of working on. We are discovering proof of Sarah Kane's genius daily."

Click on the image left for more details of performances and discussion.

Thanks to Stephanie and Amy for the information and photos.

Cleansed Workshop in NY, USA

Soho Think Tank and the committee presented a workshop of Cleansed, directed by Ken Urban. The actors were Pun Bandhu, Scott Blumenthal, Kelly Hutchinson, Carrie Keranen, Trey Lyford, Richard Toth and Victor Villar-Hauser. It was on 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 Feb 2004 at the Ohio Theater, New York. Click on the image for more details.  Thanks to Ken for the information.

Click here for more rehearsal and production photos
 

KumQuat Theatre presented Crave in Fitzroy, Australia. Directed by Jessica Murphy and featuring Elise Hearst, Richard Higgins, Michael Parry and Monique Schafter. It was on at Dante’s Upstairs Gallery, Fitzroy on 2-5, 10-12  Sept 2004. Thanks to Jess for the information.