IMITATING the dog, one of the UK’s most original and innovative performance theatre companies, bring their unique theatrical vision to York Theatre Royal when they premiere a bold retelling of Joseph Conrad’s extraordinarily influential and timely novel Heart of Darkness on April 9 and 10.
Written more than 100 years ago amid the optimism at the turn of a new century, Heart of Darkness, which explored the journey of Conrad’s narrator Charles Marlow travelling up the Congo river into the Congo Free State in the heart of Africa, is a tale of lies and brutal greed and of the dark heart which beats within us all. Now retold as a journey of a black woman through war-torn Europe, the play explores a forsaken landscape lost to the destructive lust for power and emerges as a tale absolutely for our time.
Negotiating race, gender and the themes of exploitation, violence and nationalism, imitating the dog’s Heart of Darkness is a searing parable for our times, created at a moment when versions of Britain’s colonial past seems to be being held up as a golden era and when our relationship to Europe is being severely tested.
The production’s ensemble features Laura Atherton, Morgan Bailey, Keicha Greenidge, Morven Macbeth and Matt Prendergast .
Heart of Darkness is retold and directed by imitating the dog founder members Pete Brooks and Andrew Quick .
The production’s projection and video are designed by fellow original founder member Simon Wainwright.
Imitating the dog have been making ground-breaking work for theatres and other spaces for 20 years.
The work, which fuses live performance with digital technology, has been seen across the world, and the company have made work for outdoor festivals and events, seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
As a company, they are most interested in telling stories and creating beautiful, memorable images for audiences. The company strive to tell stories which are important, and which contain important ideas. Sometimes this is an adaptation of a classic novel or a film, and at other times a new story, devised by the company.
Recent productions have included The Zero Hour, Six Degrees Below the Horizon, Hotel Methuselah and A Farewell to Arms. It is supported by Arts Council England, Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University and Theatre by the Lake.
Tickets are available from the box office on 01904 623568 or go to yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here