Greg Hicks as Tamburlaine
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Bristol Launches Tristan Tour, Celebrates Genius

Bristol Old Vic celebrates the early works of playwrights and young writers in its autumn/winter 2005 season, with highlights including plays produced in collaboration with the Barbican Centre and the Young Vic as part of the upcoming Young Genius festival (See News, 17 Jun 2005).

In the theatre’s main house, the season kicks off with Tristan and Yseult, the Kneehigh Theatre adaptation by Carl Grose and Anna Maria Murphy which recently had an acclaimed run at the National’s Cottesloe Theatre. The love story - about a warring king who falls in love with his enemy’s sister - is jointly produced by Bristol with Kneehigh and the National. Following its Old Vic run, from 16 September to 1 October 2005 (preview 15 September), it will embark on a new UK tour, visiting Warwick, Nottingham, Plymouth, Leeds, Salford and Birmingham, where it concludes on 19 November.

Tamburlaine will be at Bristol from 11 to 29 October 2005 before transferring to London’s Barbican Theatre as part of the Young Genius season. Adapted and directed by former Bristol joint artistic director David Farr (now in charge at the Lyric Hammersmith), it stars Greg Hicks (pictured) in the title role as the highly ambitious man, waging war on Persia, Turkey and Egypt to achieve power. Christopher Marlowe was only 23 when he wrote the original epic in 1587.

Tom Stoppard’s translation of Chekhov’s 1896 classic The Seagull runs from 8 to 26 November 2005 (previews from 4 November) in a new production directed by actor-turned-director Robert Bowman, who starred in last year’s staging of The Odyssey at Bristol. The main house Christmas show, 7 December 2005 (previews from 2 December) to 28 January 2006 is the world premiere stage version of Philip Pullman’s retelling of the Arabian Nights story of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp. It’s adapted by Bristol Old Vic’s artistic director Simon Reade and Aletta Collins (who also directs).

In the studio, the season opens with the return of Private Peaceful, the one-man play adapted by Simon Reade (who also directs) from Michael Morpugo’s award-winning children’s book about a young soldier awaiting the firing squad during World War I. The stage version premiered at Bristol last year before runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and London’s Soho Theatre. Following its new Bristol run, from 22 September to 1 October (preview 21 September), it will embark on a major UK tour.

In October, the studio will host a two-week festival, entitled This Way Up, featuring five new companies from Battersea Arts Centre as well as the production in collaboration with BITE:05 Barbican and the Young Vic. Phaedra's Love, a radical and violent retelling of Seneca’s tragedy by the late Sarah Kane, who wrote it at the age of 25, will run from 24 October (previews from 20 October) to 5 November 2005, prior to its London season. It’s directed by JMK award winner Anne Tipton.

The Studio’s Christmas show is Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, based on the children’s book by Eric Carle. The show is designed for young audiences and tells the story of a little girl who wants to play with the moon. It’s directed by Sally Cookson and will be at the theatre from 16 December 2005 (preview 15 December) to 21 January 2006.

- by Caroline Ansdell

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