Theatre / Bristol International Theatre Workshop
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduates to perform multilingual re-working of Euripides
A small group of graduates from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School have come together to form a new artist ensemble – the Bristol International Theatre Workshop (BITW).
They are dedicated to the establishment of regular ensemble training opportunities in the city, as well as facilitating international theatre research.
“A strong experimental theatre scene is so important in order to keep the whole artform exploring and developing,” they say, “and Bristol is already such fertile ground for this.
is needed now More than ever
Artwork: courtesy of Bristol International Theatre Workshop
“We hope to collaborate on future projects with organisations and venues throughout the city, and make this brilliant place our artistic home.”
Their first production, running at approximately forty minutes long, is an experimental, multilingual adaptation of Euripides’ classic play, Trojan Women, first produced in 415BC and set after the dramatic fall of Troy.
By employing a multiplicity of languages on stage, BITW’s aim is for audience members to connect not only with the text, which may or may not be understood at any given time, but with the physiological experience of the actors in time and space.
In rehearsal for Trojan Women (After Euripides) – photo: Edward J Felton
“Our attempt with this show is to see what might happen if we committed to training and rehearsing in a way that is, at first, totally alien to us,” they reflect.
“All your conditioning is telling you to work the way you know, the way that is comfortable, but with this we are trying to consciously turn those impulses on their heads and go towards our obstacles.
“We are interested to see how a British audience will receive the form and energy of this kind of experiment.”
Trojan Women (After Euripides) is at Alma Tavern & Theatre on November 28-29 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.tickettailor.com.
Main photo: Edward J Felton
Read more: Review: Orpheus & Eurydice, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Impressive and moving’
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