The Letter
A rehearsed reading based on Franz Werfel’s Eine blassblaue Frauenschrift.
Adapted/translated by theatre collective Found in Translation and directed by Angelika Michitsch
November 23 at 7:00pm
The Letter is an English-language stage adaption of a novella by the Austrian playwright and novelist Franz Werfel. One of the leading literary figures in the German-speaking world by the late 1920s, he was persecuted as a Jew by the Nazis, fled Austria after the Anschluss in 1938 and died in Californian exile in 1945.
Playing out in the drawing rooms and government offices of establishment Vienna in 1936, this piece examines the ethical decline and spiritual death of its seductive, weak-willed, accommodating protagonist over the course of single day. At the same time, it highlights two determined women in the protagonist’s life, especially one who is no longer portrayed as a passive victim.
The play raises questions around individual action and collective response, social conformity and personal responsibility.
The event takes place in collaboration with the theatre collective Found in Translation. It will be followed by a Q & A with the team behind this adaptation.
Cast
Narrator : Richard Pedersen
Judge : Dave Wainwright
Leonidas Berger : Elisha Sessions
Amelie Berger, née Paradini : Emily Carmichael
Vera Wormser : Nicole Bröhl
Minister Spittelberger : Paul Graham
Cabinet Secretary Skutecky : Ben Anadolu
Professor Schummerer : Sunil Bannur
Found in Translation: A group of four – Germans who have made Britain their home, and British with a love of German language and literature (Alison de Verteuil, Anne Puetz, Ines Schlenker, Niccola Shearman). The flow of cultural give-and-take between their countries of origin is a vital tool in continuing to connect across borders, as well as real or imagined differences. With a background in history and literature, the group aspires to bring German-language writing to wider British audiences, and to expand the small, important canons of plays from Austria and Germany on British stages through translations and adaptations.
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Seating is unreserved. Concessions Concession ticket prices are available for for senior citizens, unemployed and registered disabled. Ticket Prices Online bookings are available until the start of the show. Tickets may also be purchased at the theatre, but will be at an increased cost (normally each ticket will be £2 more than the online price). Terms and Conditions Tickets are sold subject to our terms and conditions Wheelchair users and other seating accommodation requests If you are a wheelchair user or have another request for seating accommodation, please book via telephone (020 7353 1700) or email the office at least one week in advance so we can make arrangements to meet your needs. One carer per wheelchair user may attend at no cost if booked at the same time. |