RSC Shakespeare Project for EIF 2012
Two productions for next year’s Edinburgh International Festival announced
TR Warszawa's 2007: Macbeth
By Thom Dibdin
A Polish version of Macbeth and the world premiere of a Russian version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream have been announced for next summer’s EIF, running from 10 August to 2 September, as part of the RSC’s World Shakespeare Festival.
2007: Macbeth will be directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, of Polish company TR Warszawa, who had a Festival hit in 2008 with Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis. Based on Shakespeare and translated by Stanislaw Baranczak, the production sees military commander Macbeth unleashes a nightmare of carnage and destruction. A war on terror that is a war of terror.
Dmitry Krymov’s new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As You Like It) is set to be a magical and inventive version of Shakespeare’s joyous play. Krymov is a director, artist and designer whose visually stunning productions have established him as one of the most original directorial voices of his generation. It is a Chekov International Festival, Russia, Dmitry Krymov’s Laboratory, School of Dramatic Art production.
Jonathan Mills, EIF Director said: “We are delighted to be a part of such a global celebration of Shakespeare. He remains an inspiration for artists from around the world, as demonstrated in the 2011 Festival by companies from across Asia. We look forward in Festival 2012 to presenting two exciting directors’ interpretations of his work which bring yet more international perspectives on one of the UK’s greatest cultural treasures.”
Full details of performance dates and ticket availability will be announced at a later date. In addition to these two productions the EIF has previously announced Speed of Light, a major new commission conceived and produced by NVA. It will transform Arthur’s Seat for the duration of the Edinburgh International Festival 2012.
Brutal
TR Waszawa’s production of 2007: Macbeth was first staged in 2005. It will be performed in Polish with English surtitles. Set in a contemporary and brutal middle-eastern conflict, it is said to be unflinching in its depiction of the machine of violence which, once set in motion, works faster and ever more efficiently. If killing in a war is justified, so is killing in the privacy of one’s home. If you can kill men, why not also women and children?
According to the publicity: “With spectacular pyrotechnics, immersive video effects and an extraordinary, layered soundscape playing tricks on the ear, Shakespeare’s web of politics, ambition and the supernatural is transformed into a contemporary living theatrical film.”
Official trailer for 2007: Macbeth
Link to EIF page on the RSC World Shakespeare Festival website
Link to EIF page to sign up for further details as they are announced
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