Martyr, a study of religious radicalisation in the classroom - Unicorn Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
ACTORS Touring Company is presenting the UK premiere of Martyr at the Unicorn Theatre. Written by Marius von Maybenburg and directed by Ramin Gray, it runs from September 15 to October 10, 2015.
Benjamin won’t do swimming at school. His mum thinks he’s on drugs or has body issues. But Benjamin has found God and mixed-sex swimming lessons offend him. So begins the teenager’s journey towards religious extremism.
The school wishes to accommodate all faiths but when will they recognise the threat that his religious belief has on their own liberal ethos? As Benjamin terrorises the staff and fellow students alike, only one teacher is prepared to take a stand. How far is she willing to go and what will she risk to defend her own deeply held convictions?
Veering from the humorous to the sinister and ultimately to the shocking, Martyr is described as a provocative and urgent exploration of the clash between fundamentalism and tolerance in Western democracy. This is a play that considers how far we should go in accommodating another’s faith and when it is right to take a stand for our own opposing values.
Bringing together audiences both young and old, Actors Touring Company, the UK’s leading producer of international contemporary theatre, is co-producing with the Unicorn, the UK’s principal professional theatre company for young audiences, to present a drama of our times by Germany’s leading playwright, Marius Von Mayenburg.
Artistic Director of Actors Touring Company and director of Martyr, Ramin Gray says:
“If the defining event of our time is the clash between the fundamentalist and liberal perspective, then Martyr is the play for today. If theatre can play a useful role in creating a space for the important conversations to take place, then Martyr is the play for today. If theatre not only reflects but interrogates our social structures and values through humour, provocation and conflict, then Martyr is the play for today.”
Artistic Director of the Unicorn, Purni Morell says:
“For me, theatre has always been a place for debate. Sometimes personal debate, between you and the things on your mind, and sometimes public debate. Martyr raises a number of questions and ideas: is it ever possible for tolerance to go too far, are there things you should fight for, how can we understand each other bette?. They’re the age-old questions, but they’re still with us, perhaps more than ever, and so perhaps more than ever now is the time to go to the theatre.”
One of Germany’s most prominent young playwrights, Marius von Mayenburg was awarded the Kleist Prize for young dramatists for his first play Fireface in 1997, the Frankfurt Writer’s Foundation Prize in 1998 and was named 1999’s up-and-coming writer by the magazine Theaterheute. His work, which includes Turista, The Ugly One, Perplexed and Martyr, has been translated into over 30 languages and performed both in Germany and abroad.
Alongside his activities as playwright, Mayenburg has worked as a translator for plays such as Thomas Ostermeier’s Shakespeare productions of Hamlet, Othello, Measure for Measure and Richard III. He is also a prolific theatre director.
Martyr contains some strong language and nudity and is suitable for ages 15 and over.
Audio-described performance: Thursday, September 24 at 7pm.
Captioned performance: Tuesday, October 6 at 7pm.
Insight (free post-show discussion): Thursday, October 8 at 7pm.
Unicorn Late (free post-show music event in the foyer): Thursday, October 8 at 7pm.