Experience Opportunity

Directing Political Theatre: Artistic Integrity in Volatile Times

Join members of the cast and company of The Score, for a session that looks at the role of the artist in a volatile political climate. The Score, currently playing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, tells the story of a clash between JS Bach and Frederick the Great, in 18th century Prussia. In this Creative Conversation, we will look at a selection of plays that examine the tension between artists and dictators, and the contemporary resonance of those issues.

Cast members of The Score will read extracts from four texts (The Score, Collaboration, Taking Sides and Master Class), all of which consider the question of artistic integrity versus political expediency. They will open up the floor for a discussion of the texts, the challenges or opportunities in staging them, and any pertinent questions that arise about the limits on artistic expression.

This is a chance to be ‘part of the rehearsal room’ with a company of actors interrogating the text, investigating themes, discussing creative choices, questioning what it means to be an artist in a climate of oppression, and asking ‘what can we do?’.

Read me aloud