National Theatre Platforms - Spring 2008
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
THE NATIONAL Theatre has a number of Platforms lined up for Spring 2008. They begin at 6pm, last for 45 minutes and cost £3·50/£2·50 unless otherwise stated.
Kathleen Turner – in the Olivier Theatre on March 11.
Screen icon and stage star Kathleen Turner, most recently seen in London in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, talks about her life and work and her poignant autobiographical self-portrait, Send Yourself Roses: My Life, Love and Leading Roles. Booksigning.
Claire Tomalin on Milton – in the Cottesloe on March 26.
The renowned biographer introduces her selection of John Milton’s poetry, ranging from the classical to the religious and from the lyrical to the epic. Booksigning.
Simon Russell Beale: A Shropshire Lad – in the Cottesloe on March 28 and April 1.
Simon Russell Beale reads from AE Housman’s cycle of poems about love and life and youth and the passing of time. With soundscape by Christopher Shutt.
The August Wilson Century Cycle – in the Cottesloe on April 7.
The late August Wilson’s plays offer a sweeping view of the black American experience in the twentieth century. As they are published together, Bonnie Greer, Paulette Randall and Roy Williams celebrate the legacy of this influential and celebrated writer.
Mark Ravenhill on Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat – in the Cottesloe on April 9.
While his series of short plays are appearing across London, Mark Ravenhill discusses the genesis and development of his work.
Howard Brenton on Never So Good – in the Lyttelton on April 17.
The playwright discusses his new play about Harold Macmillan.
Nicholas Hytner on Major Barbara – in the Olivier on April 24.
The Director of the National talks about his production of one of Bernard Shaw’s most controversial plays.
Joan Didion on The Year of Magical Thinking – in the Olivier on April 25.
The distinguished American writer reflects on her acclaimed work, as the adaptation of The Year of Magical Thinking arrives in the Lyttelton.
Roy Hattersley: Bernard Shaw and the Salvation Army – a Misalliance? – in the Olivier on May 6.
Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara pits the Salvation Army against the arms trade and Roy Hattersley, former Labour minister and author of Blood and Fire: William and Catherine Booth and Their Salvation Army, explores the themes of the play. Booksigning.
Tony Harrison, Edith Hall and Oliver Taplin on Fram – in the Olivier on May 9.
Tony Harrison is joined by classical scholars Edith Hall and Oliver Taplin to explore the many links between Gilbert Murray, Greek drama, the League of Nations and a large part of the current Olivier repertoire. As well as being a leading character in Harrison’s Fram, Murray and his wife Mary were also the inspiration for fellow-Humanist Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara and Adolphus Cusins.
Marianne Elliott and Simon Stephens on Harper Regan – in the Cottesloe on May 13.
The director and playwright talk about the premiere of Harper Regan in the Cottesloe with Dan Rebellato.
Acting with Facts – ‘Docudrama’ – in the Lyttelton on May 14.
David Edgar and Derek Paget explore the impact of the increasingly popular genre of documentary drama. They discuss the specific challenges and strange experience of playing real, and sometimes living, people on stage.
Mark Thomas on the Arms Trade – in the Olivier on May 15.
Major Barbara focuses on munitions ethics in 1905. Mark Thomas, comedian and political campaigner, explores the contemporary arms trade in As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela, uncovering major loopholes in the law surrounding arms and torture weapons. Booksigning.
Michael Frayn: Stage Directions – Writing on Theatre – in the Lyttelton on May 19.
This new collection charts Michael Frayn’s path into the theatre – from the ‘doubtful beginnings’ of his childhood to his subsequent scorn as a young man and, surprisingly late in life, his reluctant conversion to the stage. Booksigning.
International PEN presents FREE THE WORD: A Celebration of World Literature – in the Lyttelton on Friday, April 11 (6pm); in the Late Lounge (10pm to 1am) on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12.
Meet the great writers you know and the great writers you don’t. As part of International PEN’s Free the Word: Festival of World Literature taking place at venues along the South Bank from April 11 to April 13, the National will be hosting events on April 11 and 12 including an opening Platform in the Lyttelton and chill-out entertainment in the Late Lounge.