Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne / Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord
www.bouffesdunord.com
| Based on: | The Mahabharata and the piece written by Jean-Claude Carrière |
| Adapted and directed by: | Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne |
| Music by: | Toshi Tsuchitori |
| Costumes: | Oria Puppo |
| Lighting: | Philippe Vialatte |
| Cast: | Carole Karemera, Jared McNeill, Ery Nzaramba and Sean O’Callaghan |
| Music performed by: | Toshi Tsuchitori |
| Production: | C.I.C.T. – Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord |
| Co-production: | The Grotowski Institute, PARCO Co. Ltd / Tokyo, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Young Vic Theatre, Singapore Repertory Theatre, Le Théâtre de Liège, C.I.R.T., Attiki Cultural Society |
Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne return to Madrid, this time in company of another giant of the stage, Jean-Claude Carrière, following the international success of their latest creations –The Suit, Une Flûte Enchantée (A Magic Flute) and The Valley of Astonishment, also presentedin previous editions of the Festival de Otoño a Primavera. This time they visit us next June to present what will be the Spanish premiere of their latest piece Battlefield, adapted and directed by them from both the ancestral Indian book and the play written by Jean-Claude Carrière; at the Red Room (Sala Roja) of the Teatros del Canal.
Two of the most celebrated figures of international theatre in the last Century, Brook and Carrière revisit with Estienne the great epic narration Mahabharata 30 years after the legendary production Brook set up in 1985, which meant a real revolution for the world’s theatrical scene. The world premiere of Battlefield took place in September 2015 at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, collecting a warm welcome from audience and critics.
The central plot of the story shows how the havoc of war is destroying the Bharata family. The new king must solve a mystery: how to live with himself seeing the reflection of the massacre he himself has caused. Like an immense miniature canvas, this central extract from Brook’s revisited old story reveals itself timeless and highly topical wondering how we can find inner peace in a world torn by conflict. As Brook himself states, the Mahabharata ‘comprises every aspect of human existence. In it, we find all the questions about our lives, in a way that is contemporary and urgent at once’.