Aberystwyth Arts Centre brings Handspring Puppet Company, creators of multi-award winning War Horse, to Aberystwyth, with its critically acclaimed Woyzeck on the Highveld as part of a UK and European tour. Originally created in 1992 and directed and designed by renowned artist and film-maker William Kentridge, this 2011 revival is directed by Luc de Wit. The production, an adaptation of German writer Georg Büchner's famous play of jealousy, murder and the struggle of an individual against an uncaring society which eventually destroys him, was the first collaboration between Handspring and Kentridge. Woyzeck on the Highveld combines Handspring’s rod-manipulated puppets and Kentridge’s animated film, graphically illustrating Woyzeck’s tortured mind as he tries to make sense of his external circumstances. Büchner's Woyzeck was a German soldier in the 1800s but in this version Woyzeck is a migrant worker in 1956 Johannesburg, a landscape of barren industrialisation. Handspring is an internationally renowned company at the forefront of contemporary theatre. Founded in Cape Town in 1981 its productions explore puppet theatre in an African context. The company’s co-founder Adrian Kohler appears in the London run alongside actor Mncedisi Shabangu. Handspring won the Olivier Award, Evening Standard award and Critics’ Circle Theatre award for best design for War Horse; they have since won five Tony Awards in the US. The UK tour of Woyzeck on the Highveld is supported by Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales and Welsh Assembly Government. Woyzeck on the Highveld is presented by UK Arts International and Sarah Ford/Quaternaire in association with the Barbican, Warwick Arts Centre and The Puppet Centre Trust. There will be a post-show talk on Friday 28 October. Tickets are £15 (£14) CC £14 (£13). To book contact Aberystwyth Arts Centre 01970 62 32 32 or go online www.aber.ac.uk/artscentre. |
| Aberystwyth Arts Centre web site: www.aber.ac.uk/artscentre |
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Monday, October 3, 2011 |
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