[Reader-list] National School of Drama 3rd year Production "Welcome To Thebes"

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

NSD 3rd Year Prod."Welcome To Thebes"


ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
MOIRA BUFFINI
Born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College, London University (1983-86). She subsequently trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe play. Her 1997 play Gabriel was performed at Soho theatre, winning the LWT Plays on Stage award. Her 1999 play Silence earned Buffini the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for best English-language play by a woman. Loveplay followed at the RSC in 2001, then Dinner at the National Theatre in 2003 which transferred to the West End and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.
Buffini wrote Dying For It, a free adaptation of Nikolai Erdman's classic, The Suicide for the Almeida in 2007. She followed it with Marianne Dreams a dance play with choreographer Will Tuckett, based on Catherine Storr's book. Her play for young people, A Vampire Story was performed as part of NT Connections in 2008. She did a writers’ attachment at the Royal National Theatre Studio in 1996.
Buffini is said to advocate big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap opera dramas, and is a founder member of the Monsterists, a group of playwrights who promote new writing of large scale work in the British theatre. 
Buffini is also a prolific screenwriter. She wrote an adaptation of Jane Eyre for BBC Films and Ruby Films which was released in the UK during September 2011. 
She will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six where she has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.


Director's Notes


Directing a work in a language I don't speak has been both a challenge and a deep pleasure.  With actors from all over India there are nearly as many languages in the room as people, making for a rich and layered experience.  The actors have responded generously to a new and challenging methodology and the designers have sought to reflect this approach in their work. I hope you will enjoy the life these talented final year students bring to this exciting play.  
Welcome to Thebes has a dark topic, but Buffini has written a great deal of comedy and playfulness into her work.  The mood swings of the text have been a pleasure to negotiate and the subject matter feels as relevant here in India as in New Zealand or indeed England.  We will be very interested in discussing your thoughts at the end of the evening, when a short demonstration of our working method and a discussion of both the play and the approach conclude the formal part of the evening.  Afterward we invite you to take chai with us and continue the discussion more informally.




The Director


Annie Ruth was Director of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School from1997-2011. She is also a professional director and actor. Her solo show Dissident Voices, was performed at Bats Theatre, Wellington in Italy and the USA. Annie  specializes in  Improvisation and 'Viewpoints' acting methodology, having worked with Keith Johnstone, Anne Bogart and Tina Landau. This experience forms the basis for her current PhD research and direction practice, along with frameworks developed out of Māori ritual practices. She has taught in top schools and international masterclasses in Europe China, England and USA. Her directing credits include Vagabonds, Marat/Sade, Troilus & Cressida, Betty's Summer Vacation, The Glass Menagerie and Welcome to Thebes. Currently She is teaching at Central School of Speech and Drama in London.  Welcome to Thebes is her first production for NSD (National School of Drama).




About The Play
In Welcome to Thebes Moira Buffini uses classical characters to create a contemporary political fable. Thebes is presented as an African country emerging from civil war into democracy under the leadership of a president, Eurydice.   Like the women of Liberia under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf the women of Thebes have ended a bloody civil war and are now forming a government.  Eurydice turns for aid to the superpower, Athens, represented by its first citizen, Theseus. A summit between the two leaders is plagued by circumstance. Eurydice's refusal to sanction the burial of the defeated warlord, Polynices, provokes violence quickly fomented by the militaristic opposition leader, Tydeus. Arrogance on the part of Theseus, Eurydice's desire for revenge for the death of her son and husband  and the conflicting economic interests of the two countries mean that talks break down.  The key question is whether a democracy can triumph over a return to bloodshed and chaos.  The play was first produced by the National Theatre, London in 2010.


Venue:Bahumukh Auditorium,National School of Drama,Delhi 
Dates: March 16-18,6:30pm,Additional shows on March 17-18 afternoon
Tickets:Rs.30/-
For more info contact 23382821