Theatre News

DV8 Return to NT to Explore Multiculturalism & Islam in 2012

| London's West End |

12 October 2011

Acclaimed physical theatre company DV8 will return to the National Theatre next year, bringing director Lloyd Newson‘s new work about freedom of speech, Islam and multiculturalism, Can We Talk About This?, to the South Bank from 12 to 22 March 2012 (previews from 9 March).

Can We Talk About This? tackles issues such as the 1989 book burnings of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and the controversy of the ‘Muhammad cartoons’ in 2005.

The piece premiered at Sydney Opera House and will tour to West Yorkshire Playhouse and Warwick Arts Centre in November prior to dates in Brighton, the National and the Lowry next spring as part of an international schedule.

DV8’s Australian director Lloyd Newson’s blends his interest in social, psychological and political issues in Can We Talk About This? which, in the company’s style, melds text, dance and archive footage. The production is co-produced by Théâtre de la Ville and Festival d’Automne, Paris and Dansens Hus Stockholm as well as the National Theatre.

Newson’s dance and choreography credits included work with Modern Dance Ensemble, Impulse Dance Theatre, Royal New Zealand Ballet, One Extra Dance Theatre and Extemporary Dance Theatre before he formed his own multi award-winning company in 1986.

Speaking about the project in a press statement Newson said: “Because of our desire to be tolerant and perhaps because of post-colonial guilt and a fear of being labelled racist or Islamophobic, I feel there is a liberal blind spot, a lack of voices speaking up for our most basic freedoms particularly when it comes to discussing Islam and multiculturalism.

“In our desire to be tolerant, are we actually betraying the minorities and freedoms we ought to be protecting? Can We Talk About This explores these issues.”

DV8 return to the National Theatre for the first time since their piece To Be Straight With You was presented in the NT Lyttelton from October to November 2008. That work was billed as an “unflinching exploration of tolerance, intolerance, religion and sexuality.” DV8’s Just for Show also played the NT Lyttelton back in 2005.

Speaking about the piece, National Theatre director Nicholas Hytner said in a statement: “DV8’s shows at the National have given me some of the most exciting, stimulating and beautiful nights of the last few years. I have always been a huge admirer of Lloyd Newson, and of his determination to push forward into new territory in everything he does. I’m very much looking forward to having Can We Talk About This? in the repertoire.”