Cleansed Canadian premiere

Phaedra's Love and Crave in Aberystwyth, Wales

4.48 Psychosis in Belfast, Northern Ireland

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

The director is Miriam Haughton, the producer is Katie Clifford.  The actors are Nicola Bailey-James, Claire Rafferty, Anna Whitwham, Jonny McMillen and Des Kennedy. Its on at the Old Museum Arts Centre (OMAC) Belfast.  It may also tour to Galway and take part in the Irish Student Drama Association Festival in March. Click on the image left for details of the theatre (though the play is not yet mentioned on it).  Thanks to Miriam for the information.

Click here for more rehearsal and production photos

Crave in London, UK: extended run

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

The director is Matt Peover.  The actors are 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 opens in Seattle.  It is by Theater Under the Influence and is on from 20 Feb- 13 Mar 2004.  Its at the Union Garage Performance Center, 1418 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 between Pike and Union, one block east of Broadway in Capitol Hill neighborhood.

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

The designers are Jenny Anderson (set), Jennifer Zeyl (costumes), Katie Davis (lights), Sam Doerr (sound), Rob Jones (fights) and Kevin Inouye (effects).  The dramaturge is 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."

On 7 Mar 2004 at 4:00 there is a discussion about the play.

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 present a workshop of Cleansed, directed by Ken Urban. The actors are Pun Bandhu, Scott Blumenthal, Kelly Hutchinson, Carrie Keranen, Trey Lyford, Richard Toth and Victor Villar-Hauser. Its on 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 Feb 2004 at the Ohio Theater, 66 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10012. Click on the image for more details.  Thanks to Ken for the information.

Click here for more rehearsal and production photos