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| [BLANK] | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Alice Birch |
| Date premiered | October 17, 2019 |
| Place premiered | Donmar Warehouse, London |
[BLANK] is a 2019 play by Alice Birch. The play consists of 100 unrelated scenes from which a director may pick and choose. Its 2019 premiere at the Donmar Warehouse in London was in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Clean Break.
Development
[edit]The play's 100 scenes run over 400 pages and all explore what happens when and after a woman goes to prison.[1][2] Birch's writing was inspired by her work with Clean Break and women affected by the criminal justice system.[3]
Production history
[edit]Prior to the play's official premiere, the National Theatre’s youth festival Connections staged a version of [BLANK] in 2018.[4]
Maria Aberg directed the premiere of [BLANK] at the Donmar Warehouse in London, which officially began its run on October 17, 2019.[5] This production was produced by the theatre company, Clean Break, which works with women affected by the prison system, and celebrated their fortieth anniversary.[6][7] The premiere featured an all-female cast and creative team. The actors were Ayesha Antoine, Shona Babayemi, Sophia Brown, Jackie Clune, Grace Doherty, Lucy Edkins, Zaris-Angel Hator, Zainab Hasan, Joanna Horton, Thusitha Jayasundera, Petra Letang, Leah Mondesir-Simmonds, Kate O’Flynn, Ashna Rabheru, Jemima Rooper, and Taya Tower.[5] Twenty-two of the 100 scenes were performed.[8][9] The production featured a two-tiered set design by Rosie Elnile.[7]
Cambridge University's Fletcher Players staged [BLANK] in 2021. Director Rae Morris made the play into an online radio play.[10] In 2022, [BLANK] was staged at the Badischen Staatstheater Karlsruhe.[11] Director Anna Bergmann chose 35 scenes.[12]
Analysis
[edit]The pick-and-choose structure of the 100 scenes is reminiscent of Caryl Churchill.[8][13]
Awards and nominations
[edit][BLANK] was nominated for the 2020 James Tait Black Prize.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ Clapp, Susannah (2019-10-26). "The week in theatre: [Blank]; Lungs; Vassa – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Wood, Alex (2019-04-02). "Michael Longhurst's first Donmar Warehouse season to include Alice Birch, Caryl Churchill and more". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Saville, Alice (2019-10-17). "'[Blank]' review | Theatre in London". Time Out London. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Jones, Alice (2019-10-16). "Alice Birch on her new play, writing Succession and adapting Normal People". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ a b Skethway, Nathan (2019-10-16). "New Photos From the World Premiere of Alice Birch's [BLANK] in London". Playbill. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Wurtzel, David (2019-11-18). "Theatre review: [BLANK] by Alice Birch". Counsel Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ a b Meyer, Dan (2019-09-03). "All-Female Cast Set for London World Premiere of Alice Birch's [Blank]". Playbill. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ a b Billington, Michael (2019-10-18). "[Blank] review – Alice Birch's build-your-own-play experiment". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Curtis, Nick (2019-10-18). "[BLANK] review: Layered and powerful achievement". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Robinson, Emma (2021-02-05). "[BLANK] is complex and expressive, but falls short in its experimentation". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Wetzel, Marie-Dominique (2022-02-05). ""Blank" von Alice Birch in Karlsruhe - Im Sog der Gewalt". Deutschlandfunk Kultur (in German). Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Wetzel, Marie-Dominique (2022-02-07). ""[Blank]" am Badischen Staatstheater Karlsruhe — Anna Bergmann inszeniert eine Spirale der Gewalt". swr.online (in German). Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Dilek, Mert (2019-10-26). "Alice Birch's "[BLANK]" at the Donmar Warehouse". The Theatre Times. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Wood, Alex (2020-08-18). "James Tait Black Prize 2020 nominees revealed". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 2022-11-21.