The Fever Chart, The Studio, York Theatre Royal, until November 14 (From York Press)

The Fever Chart, The Studio, York Theatre Royal, until November 14

11:14am Friday 30th October 2009

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PREMIERED in New York, set in the Middle East and now playing in York, the progress of Naomi Wallace’s The Fever Chart is typical of the adventurous spirit of Pilot Theatre.

The company-in-residence at York Theatre Royal is staging the American playwright’s typically political drama in The Studio from this week, while accompanying the production run with workshops, talks and further readings for students and the theatre-going public alike.

“I saw this play in New York 18 months ago as a platform reading when I was over there as part of the Shift Happens project,”

says Pilot artistic director Marcus Romer, who is co-directing the Pilot/Theatre Royal show with associate director Katie Posner.

“I saw it on spec and it blew me away and I then discovered that Naomi divides her life between Kentucky and the Yorkshire Dales, so I thought, ‘I’m going to bring this play from New York to old York’. Naomi likes what we do as a company and agreed to the play being performed over here.”

Pilot are noted for embracing the possibilities of new technology in their performances – you may have seen their 5Circles thermal-imaging project with digital artists KMA in St Sampson’s Square for the Illuminating York festival last weekend – but The Fever Chart is a more traditional piece of theatre.

“After 264 multi-media performances last year, this is an opportunity to focus on a great piece of storytelling theatre in The Studio, and it’s a beautifully written play of extraordinary visions,” says Marcus.

The Fever Chart tells three distinct but thematically related stories that explore “the possibility of humanity in the most inhumane conditions”, as Wallace observes political tensions by grounding them in the issues of love, life and death.

For this British premiere, Marcus is directing The Retreating World, set in Baghdad, Iraq; Katie is at the helm for A State Of Innocence, set in a zoo in Rafah, Palestine, and Between This Breath And You, set in a West Jerusalem clinic. “They’re all based on true stories, and the way they are written really allows you to connect with the characters,” says Katie, who has risen from assistant and staff director posts at Pilot to be appointed associate director for 2099-2010.

“The three stories each take a personal stance to point out universal truths without shoving it down your throat, so they’re ultimately objective rather than subjective.” Marcus concurs: “It’s the human element trying to make sense of the conflict in the Middle East, so the play raises the right questions, and while none of us knows the answer, we might have a better-informed discussion about it after seeing this show.”

Katie's own back ground gives her, in the words of Marcus, a "specific insight into this work". "As a Jewish girl I feel a huge connection with this piece. I am proud of who I am and where I come from and will be the first person to defend what I believe in," says Katie, in her programme notes.

"I am also a humanitarian and support peace. "I am not proud of violence and do not feel that it is the way to resolve conflict. I hope that by creating work of this ilk, it will expose young people to different situations and stories in a non-prejudiced way and allow them to start conversations and form their own opinions about hugely difficult and complex situations."

The trio of 25-minute stories will be performed by Daniel Rabin, Raad Rawi and Lisa Came (who by chance saw the same matinee as Marcus in New York), and in keeping with Pilot’s desire to break boundaries, their November 12 performance will be streamed free online on pilot­-theatre.tv

“This will allow people across the world to see it and hopefully it will spark a debate because people can then comment on it online in a global conversation,” says Katie. “What streaming enables us to do is extend the conversation across the other side of the world and there’s no other company doing that,” says Marcus, who will lead the question-and-answer session online.

“The play will definitely be shown by a theatre company we have connections with in Gaza called Theatre Day Productions and that’s unheard of in our lifetime. Hopefully, as well, some people might see it and say, ‘We want to do that show.”

Unquestionably, Pilot Theatre is making its mark in global theatre, so much so that the York company has spread its message by having “Pilot Theatre” and “The Fever Chart” sprayed on to a wall on the West Bank in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, here in York, Katie will be running workshops with the York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre, while Marcus and Naomi Wallace will be taking part in post-show discussions.

“To speak change and debate is important because it’s crucial that young people are more aware of what’s happening in the Middle East,” says Marcus.

The Fever Chart runs in The Studio, York Theatre Royal, until November 14, 7.45pm plus 1.30pm matinees on November 4, 5, 11 and 14. Box office: 01904 623568 or www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

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