Blackbird (play)
Encyclopedia
Blackbird is a one-act, ninety-minute play written in 2005 by Scottish playwright David Harrower
. It was inspired in part by the crimes of sex offender
Toby Studebaker
and depicts a young woman meeting a middle-aged man fifteen years after having a sexual relationship, when she was twelve.
Ray takes Una to the office break room, where the two engage in a long and difficult confrontation involving Una's continuing struggles to understand and come to terms with the affair and her intensely conflicting emotions. These rocket back and forth between anger, curiosity, confusion, and even a persistent attachment to Ray, whom Una loved and believed loved her. The fearful Ray parries her demanding questions and descriptions of her feelings and experiences, all the while uncertain of her intentions.
and premiered at the 2005 festival under the direction of Peter Stein
. In February 2006 it opened at the West End
Albery Theatre with Roger Allam
and Jodhi May
in the primary roles. In September 2006, it was well received by critics and audience when it premiered in Stockholm
at Dramaten (Royal Dramatic Theatre
), in a co-production with Helsingborg City Theatre
, directed by Eva Dahlman; with Göran Stangertz as Ray and Anna Björk as Una. In the spring of 2007 the play had simultaneous American premieres by the Manhattan Theater Club off-Broadway
and at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco The New York production was directed by Joe Mantello
. In April 2008 the play was revived in a new production by David Grindley at the Rose Theatre, Kingston
prior to a national tour of the UK. In March 2008 the play opened in Mumbai, India, starring Indian film and theatre veterans Akash Khurana and Shernaz Patel
. It is an Akvarious Production and has since done shows in Bangalore and New Delhi. Shernaz Patel went on to win the award for Best Actress, for her portrayal of Una, at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards, 2010. In March 2010 the play opened at Gothenburg City Theatre
, Sweden. Director was Andrés Lima, with Nina Zanjani as Una and Lars Väringer as Ray. The play opened at Everyman Theatre
on 12 May 2010, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore premiere directed by Derek Goldman stars Everyman Resident Company member Megan Anderson and David Parkes in his Everyman debut. As of September 2010, the work has been performed in more than forty productions worldwide.
Directed by Bo Petersen.
Directed by Jessica Dick
Directed by David Mealor.
Directed by Bo Petersen.
, Prague
.
Directed by Jiří Pokorný.
Translated by Alessandra Serra
Directed by Lluís Pasqual
Directed by: Tony Wernham
Directed by Tamiya Kuriyama.
.
Directed by Tracie Pang.
, Ljubljana, Slovenija. Slovene title is Črni kos.
Directed by Rene Maurin
, the Welsh title is Deryn Du.
Directed by Sion Humphreys
, Quebec
.
Directed by Claudia Stavisky.
Traduction : Étienne Lepage
Direction : Téo Spychalski
.
Directed by Dennis Začek
David Harrower
David Harrower is a Scottish playwright who lives in Glasgow.His agents are Casarotto Ramsay.-Career:...
. It was inspired in part by the crimes of sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
Toby Studebaker
Toby Studebaker
Toby Studebaker was a former U.S. Marine who abducted a 12-year-old British girl in 2003 after grooming her via the Internet and was jailed for four and a half years....
and depicts a young woman meeting a middle-aged man fifteen years after having a sexual relationship, when she was twelve.
Synopsis
At his workplace, 55-year-old Ray is shocked to be visited by a young woman, 27-year-old Una. Fifteen years earlier, when Una was only twelve, the two had a sexual affair, for which Ray was arrested and imprisoned. He has managed to establish a reasonably successful new life under another name, but Una recognized him in a photograph and tracked him down.Ray takes Una to the office break room, where the two engage in a long and difficult confrontation involving Una's continuing struggles to understand and come to terms with the affair and her intensely conflicting emotions. These rocket back and forth between anger, curiosity, confusion, and even a persistent attachment to Ray, whom Una loved and believed loved her. The fearful Ray parries her demanding questions and descriptions of her feelings and experiences, all the while uncertain of her intentions.
Productions
Blackbird was commissioned by the Edinburgh International FestivalEdinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
and premiered at the 2005 festival under the direction of Peter Stein
Peter Stein
Peter Stein is a critically acclaimed German theatre and opera director who established himself at the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, a company that he brought to the forefront of German theatre....
. In February 2006 it opened at the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
Albery Theatre with Roger Allam
Roger Allam
Roger Allam is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables....
and Jodhi May
Jodhi May
Jodhi May is an English actress.-Early life:Born in Camden Town, London, May first acted at the age of 12 in 1988's A World Apart. The role earned her a Best Actress award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, shared with her co-stars Barbara Hershey and Linda Mvusi...
in the primary roles. In September 2006, it was well received by critics and audience when it premiered in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
at Dramaten (Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
), in a co-production with Helsingborg City Theatre
Helsingborg City Theatre
Helsingborg City Theatre is the city theatre of Helsingborg in south of Sweden. It's one of the most well-known city theatres in Sweden....
, directed by Eva Dahlman; with Göran Stangertz as Ray and Anna Björk as Una. In the spring of 2007 the play had simultaneous American premieres by the Manhattan Theater Club off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
and at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco The New York production was directed by Joe Mantello
Joe Mantello
Joseph Mantello is an American actor and director best known for his work on Broadway productions of Wicked, Take Me Out and Assassins, as well as earlier in his career being one of the original Broadway cast of Angels in America...
. In April 2008 the play was revived in a new production by David Grindley at the Rose Theatre, Kingston
Rose Theatre, Kingston
The Rose Theatre, Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The theatre seats 899 around a wide, lozenge shaped stage....
prior to a national tour of the UK. In March 2008 the play opened in Mumbai, India, starring Indian film and theatre veterans Akash Khurana and Shernaz Patel
Shernaz Patel
Shernaz Patel is an Indian film and theatre actor, who works in Hindi and English films, most known for her roles in films like Black and Guzaarish and English language theatre in Mumbai. She made her theatre debut with The Diary Of Anne Frank in 1984...
. It is an Akvarious Production and has since done shows in Bangalore and New Delhi. Shernaz Patel went on to win the award for Best Actress, for her portrayal of Una, at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards, 2010. In March 2010 the play opened at Gothenburg City Theatre
Gothenburg City Theatre
Gothenburg City Theatre opened in 1934 at Götaplatsen square in Gothenburg, Sweden. The theatre was drawn by Carl Bergsten who gave the exterior a Neo-Classical look with a touch of Streamline Moderne. The critics thought it to be a too old-fashioned building – the International Style had had a big...
, Sweden. Director was Andrés Lima, with Nina Zanjani as Una and Lars Väringer as Ray. The play opened at Everyman Theatre
Everyman Theatre, Baltimore
The Everyman Theatre, founded in 1990 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, by artistic director Vincent M. Lancisi , an Equity theatre with a professional repertory company of artists from the Baltimore/Washington area, dedicated to presenting quality theatre that is accessible and affordable to...
on 12 May 2010, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore premiere directed by Derek Goldman stars Everyman Resident Company member Megan Anderson and David Parkes in his Everyman debut. As of September 2010, the work has been performed in more than forty productions worldwide.
Baxter Theatre, Cape Town, South Africa
22 March - 8 April 2011- Warrick Grier .... Ray
- Deborah Vieyra .... Una
- Rebekah Nathan and Lucy Giffard .... Girl
Directed by Bo Petersen.
College of Charleston Center Stage
September 28-October 1, 2011- Steven Moskos ... Ray
- Allison Wilde ... Una
- Baylor Shull ... Girl
Directed by Jessica Dick
Flying Penguin Productions, Adelaide, Australia
22–30 October 2010, Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre- Terence Crawford .... Ray
- Ksenja Logos .... Una
- Scarlett Groom-Ransom .... Girl
Directed by David Mealor.
Intimate Theatre, University of Cape Town
21 September - 2 October 2010- Warrick Grier .... Ray
- Deborah Vieyra .... Una
- Rebekah Nathan and Lucy Giffard .... Girl
Directed by Bo Petersen.
Národní divadlo
Translated by David Drozd. The play had premiere in 26 February 2010 in National TheatreNational Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
- Jiří Štěpnička .... Ray
- Jana Pidrmanová .... Una
- Helena Němcová ... Girl
Directed by Jiří Pokorný.
Piccolo Teatro di Milano
From April 26-May 29, 2011Translated by Alessandra Serra
- Massimo Popolizio ... Ray
- Anna Della Rosa ... Una
- Silvia Altrui ... Girl
Directed by Lluís Pasqual
Progress Theatre, Reading
October 17-22, 2011- Matt Tully ... Ray
- Rebecca Sumner Smith ... Una
- Sasha Briggs ... Girl
Directed by: Tony Wernham
Setagaya Public Theatre
The play watching in Tokyo's theatre.- Masaaki Uchino .... Ray
- Ayumi ItoAyumi ItoAyumi Itō is a Japanese actress who received her big break in 1996, when she was cast as the central character of Ageha in Shunji Iwai's hit movie, Swallowtail Butterfly. The following year, she won her first Japanese Academy Award for 'Rookie of the Year'...
.... Una
Directed by Tamiya Kuriyama.
Singapore Repertory Theatre
September 2010, SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
- Emma Yong
- Daniel Jenkins
Directed by Tracie Pang.
Slovenian Theatre
In 10 May 2009 the play had its Slovenian language premiere at Cankar HallCankar Hall
Cankar Hall is a cultural and congress center in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It stands on the central Republic Square , opposite the Parliament of Slovenia....
, Ljubljana, Slovenija. Slovene title is Črni kos.
- Iva Babič
- Janez Starina
- Lucija Tratnik
Directed by Rene Maurin
Rene Maurin
Rene Maurin is a Slovene Theatre director, Film director and screenwriter.During his studies of architecture in Graz, Austria he became interested in theatre and film. Leaving architecture studies he enrolled the Academy of Drama Arts in Zagreb, Croatia, where he finishes the studies under the...
Theatr Bara Caws
13 April - 8 May 2010, translated by Bryn FônBryn Fôn
Bryn Fôn is a Welsh actor and singer-songwriter .- Biography :Fôn attended Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyfni and Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle before going on to study physical exercise and environmental studies at college. He began his career in entertainment by taking part in the opera Dic Penderyn in 1977...
, the Welsh title is Deryn Du.
- Bryn FônBryn FônBryn Fôn is a Welsh actor and singer-songwriter .- Biography :Fôn attended Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyfni and Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle before going on to study physical exercise and environmental studies at college. He began his career in entertainment by taking part in the opera Dic Penderyn in 1977...
- Fflur Medi Owen
Directed by Sion Humphreys
Théâtre du Nouveau Monde
September 2009, MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
- Maurice BénichouMaurice BénichouMaurice Bénichou is a French actor. His best known roles include three collaborations with director Michael Haneke , and a part in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie...
- Philomène Bilodeau
- Léa DruckerLéa DruckerLéa Drucker is a French actress, born 23 January 1972 in Caen, Normandy.thumb|right|180px| Léa Drucker in 2006She is the niece of the television presenter Michel Drucker, and of the ex-president of the M6 television chain, Jean Drucker. Her father Jacques is a medical doctor, and her mother,...
Directed by Claudia Stavisky.
Théâtre Prospéro
September 8-23, 2011, MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
Traduction : Étienne Lepage
- Gabriel ArcandGabriel ArcandGabriel Arcand is a Canadian actor. He is the brother of film director Denys Arcand.He won the Genie Award for Best Actor at the 6th Genie Awards in 1985, for his performance in Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe....
... Ray - Marie-Eve PelletierMarie-Ève PelletierMarie-Ève Pelletier is a Canadian professional tennis player. She reached a career high ranking of 106 in singles on June 20, 2005 and a career high of 54 in doubles on April 12, 2010 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.-1998–present:...
... Una - Rebecca Vachon ... Girl
Direction : Téo Spychalski
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater
See also Biograph TheaterBiograph Theater
The Biograph Theater, at 2433 North Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois, was originally a movie theater but now presents live productions. It is notable as the location where bank robber John Dillinger was shot by FBI agents after watching a gangster movie on July 22, 1934...
.
- William PetersenWilliam PetersenWilliam Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He portrayed President John F...
.... Ray - Mattie HawkinsonMattie HawkinsonMattie Hawkinson is an American stage actress. Mattie, a native of Bellingham, Washington, is a graduate of Northwestern University and The London Academy of Theatre.-Victory Gardens Theater:*Mattie Hawkinson is an American stage actress...
.... Una - Lauren Delfs .... Girl
Directed by Dennis Začek
Awards and nominations
- 2006 Critics' Awards for Theatre in ScotlandCritics' Awards for Theatre in ScotlandThe Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland were inaugurated in May 2003, and are adjudicated by a panel of all the regular Scottish theatre critics.The 2009 ceremony took place at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre on June 14...
for Best New Play - 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play