SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR
The Leading Man
Wnt‘tlss: Kirstin lnnes
t'}ing In get In the nuh nf l.uigi
l’irandelln‘x I‘Dl ahxurdixt claxxic Sit
(‘lturm'lt'rx In St'tll't'll nfxln .lut/tnr is an infuriating. intellectuall} ta\ing. challenging and t‘e\\at‘ding prncexx. lissentiall}. six characterx fictinnal characters. but \UlliL‘llt\\\ li\ing and breathing — descend ttpnn an nrdinar} tlteatre \xhere a rehearsal is taking place. and hijack the pla} demanding tn ha\e their nun. tragic. human. stnry tnld. liach nf their interpretatinnx nf that stnry Ihrnwx tip a different. cnnflicting \‘ieupnint.
.-\.x a new Versinn nf the pla_\ gne\ nn tnur
rnund the cnuntr}. hea\_\ \xith Senttixh theatrical talent (adapted h} l)a\id llat't‘tm er. prnduced by the \atinnal ’l‘heatre nf Sentland in assnciatinn unit the Lyceum and (‘iIi/enx' Theatres. featttring an lx-xtrnng enxemhle cast nf snme nf the best ttclttt'x in the cnuntr} l. The [.ixt decided In ask xix nf the penple behind the prnductinn In help Us pin it dnxxn. Well. it ~\eemed like a .xtraightfnrxx'ard idea at the time . . .
20 THE LIST '-1—.‘r in:
The Rising Star
The Director
The Producer
The Author
David Harrower adapted the text from the original by Pirandello
l \\a\ asked tn adapt Sit ('lmrm'tt'rx fnt' the Ynung \'ic in 2000. I hadn‘t read an} l’irandelln hefnre. and I did it lk‘cttlhe I needed the mnne}; but I did hecnme intrigued by the pla}. When I \xas apprnached h} the N'I‘S In rex'ix‘e it. I went hack n\ er the \ct'ipt and realised that I‘d reall} mixinterpreted \nme nf the pla}.
I think \ntne peane might he hemuxed h) it. \nme pc'nple might he infuriated h} it. It hasn‘t been \taged here fnr a Vet} lnng time. and althnugh it'x hailed ax a claxsic. it’x nnt nften dnne.
'l'here\ an ahxence nf .-\uthnr n nf the Authnr \\hn dexerted the ('haracters. l dnn‘t knnu uh} he did that. l’erhapx he realised he didn't ha\e ennugh talent In \ee their \tnr} thrnugh. l’erhapx he decided that the \tnr} has \hit. These are thnughtx that are nex er far frnm m} mind ahnut m} n\\n \\nt‘k. While being an authnr and \xriting fur a mixxing .-\uthnr ixn‘t reall} a \elf- ennxeinux pnxitinn In unrk frnm. it dnex fnrce )titt tn a\k quextinnx ahnut hnxx ynu present this \tuff in _\nur nu n \\ nrk.
The Grande Dame
The Leading Man
Ron Donachie plays The Father
l)c\pite the fact that Sit ('lturmtt'rx ha\ a reputatinn fnr heing cnmplicated. I think it's actuall} t'elati\el_\ straightfnmard. lt \IL'HI\ frnm the chain nf the aftermath nl the l'it'xt \Vnt'ld War. a cnmpletel) lt'actttt'ed \nciet} lnnking fnr \nme \nlutinnx In their prnhlems that exixt. and it alxn \temx frnm the huge explnxinn in p\_\'chnlngical debate that \xax taking place acrnxx the \Vext at that time. Sn it askx