British TNT Theatre presents Shakespeare classic “The Tempest” in Beijing.
TNT Theatre was founded in 1980 by Paul Stebbings and other actors trained in the Grotowski method in Britain and Poland. While valuing the imaginative and physical techniques of the Polish director they wanted to extend their work into comic and popular forms with greater contemporary relevance. Their productions took popular forms and explored serious themes; such as finance and fairy tales in FUNNY MONEY, vaudeville and war in ENGLISH TEA PARTY and the detective thriller and violence in THE MURDER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. Since its foundation all TNT productions have been written or edited by Paul Stebbings and Phil Smith. The company’s approach to the classics is to critically examine the themes of the original rather than slavishly present a hallowed text. Since 2000 the company has extended this approach to interpretations of Shakespeare with considerable international success.
Music plays an important role in the company’s work, and most productions include a newly commissioned score. Notable music theatre productions include CABARET FAUST (inspired by Klaus Mann’s MEPHISTO) and the WIZARD OF JAZZ (prize winner at the Munich Biennale) both scored by the well known composer, John Kenny. TNT’s most ambitious production to date was the integrated drama, dance and music version of Melville’s MOBY DICK, with a score by John Kenny and Paul Flush. Other long term members of TNT are the choreographer Eric Tessier Lavigne and composer Thomas Johnson.
TNT began its collaboration with The American Drama Group Europe and producer Grantly Marshall in 1993. Notable productions include BRAVE NEW WORLD, LORD OF THE FLIES, FAHRENHEIT 451, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, OLIVER TWIST and many of Shakespeare’s greatest plays including our recent award winning HAMLET, OTHELLO and TAMING OF THE SHREW. TNT has received regular funding from the British Council and the UK Arts Council and collaborated or co-produced with organizations such as the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), The St Petersburg State Comedy Theatre (Akimov), Tams Theatre Munich and St Donats Arts Centre (Wales) and the current long term collaborations with Costa Rica’s Teatro Terruno (Café Britt) Milky Way Productions in Beijing and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. TNT has toured from London to Hong Kong, from Guatemala to Tokyo, from Atlanta to St Petersburg and Tehran to Berlin in venues that range from village halls to opera houses and from castle ruins to national theatres. We borrow our motto from the Great Russian Theatre director, Meyerhold.
Date: Mar 18- May 17
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Admission: RMB 80/100/120/150
Address: Inside Peking University, 5A Yiheyuan Lu, Haidian District
海淀区颐和园路甲5号北京大学内
Tel: 6275 1278
Source: www.thebeijinger.com
