The Great Game: Afghanistan – a festival exploring Afghan culture and history through twelve plays, a five day film programme, a ceramic exhibition and discussion sessions returns to the Tricycle Theatre for a limited run from 23 July until 29 August 2010 with a press day on 31 July.
Karl Davies, Shereen Martineau, Daniel Rabin, Raad Rawi and Cloudia Swann join the previously announced Daniel Betts, Sheena Bhattessa, Michael Cochrane, Vincent Ebrahim, Nabil Elouahabi, Tom McKay, Danny Rahim, Jemma Redgrave and Rick Warden to complete the acting company.
Directed by the Tricycle’s Artistic Director Nicolas Kent and Theatre Director Indhu Rubasingham, assisted by Rachel Grunwald, The Great Game: Afghanistan will present the world premiere o
f a new play by Lee Blessing, alongside the plays premiered last season by writers Stephen Jeffreys, Ron Hutchinson, Amit Gupta, Joy Wilkinson, David Edgar, David Greig, Colin Teevan, Ben Ockrent, Abi Morgan, Richard Bean and Simon Stephens. These plays will be accompanied by three monologues by Iranian writer and documentary maker Siba Shakib and verbatim pieces by the Guardian’s Security Editor, Richard Norton Taylor, to reflect the present situation in Afghanistan, taken from interviews with American and British Generals, Afghan politicians, US and British politicians and contributors to the Obama review on the Afpak policy.
All plays will be presented in repertoire throughout the festival. Designs are by project designer Pamela Howard and associate designer Miriam Nabarro, lighting is by James Farncombe, with sound by Tom Lishman.
Following the run at the Tricycle, the production will embark on an American tour from 15 September – 19 December 2010, visiting The Shakespeare at the Harman, Washington, The Guthrie at The McGuire Proscenium, Minneapolis, Berkeley Rep at The Roda and The Public at The Skirball, New York.
The Great Game: Afghanistan is supported by The British Council.
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