 | A Dream Play (NHB Classic Plays) Caryl Churchill's spare and resonant version of Strindberg's enigmatic masterpiece. Written in 1901, a mysterious amalgam of Freud, Alice in Wonderland and Strindberg's own private symbolism, A Dream Play follows the logic of a dream: A young woman comes from another world to see if life is really as difficult as people make it out to be. Characters merge into each other, locations change in an instant and a locked door becomes an obsessive recurrent image. As Strindberg wrote in his preface, he wanted 'to imitate the disjointed yet seemingly logical shape of a dream. Everything can happen, everything is possible and probable. Time and place do not exist.' This version of A Dream Play, from a literal translation by Charlotte Barslund, is by leading playwright Caryl Churchill. It was first performed in the Cottesloe auditorium of the National Theatre, London, in February 2005, in a production directed by Katie Mitchell, with additional material by Katie Mitchell and the company. Also included is an introduction by Caryl Churchill. August Strindberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden on January 22, 1849. He was educated at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, but left without a degree. He began to write while supporting himself at a variety of jobs, including journalist and librarian. He wrote several novels including The Red Room and Black Banners, but was best known as a playwright. His plays include The Father, Miss Julie, Creditors, A Dream Play, and The Ghost Sonata. He also wrote an autobiography entitled The Son of a Servant. He died on May 14, 1912 at the age of 63. (Bowker Author Biography) |
