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Home , BAFTA Cymru, Clive Merrison, English Touring Theatre, Helen Griffin, Human Traffic, Ian Charleson

NATIONAL THEATRE A PROVINCIAL LIFE BY FROM A STORY BY 1-17 MARCH PULL OUT PROGRAMME

#NTW17 NATIONALTHEATREWALES.ORG 01 NATIONAL THEATRE WALES A PROVINCIAL LIFE BEHIND THE SCENES A PROVINCIAL LIFE SPRING 2012 02

#NTW17 Photographs Share your Helen Maybanks / views and National Theatre Wales join the conversation about the show on @ntwtweets 03 NATIONAL THEATRE WALES A PROVINCIAL LIFE PETER GILL

Gill has directed over 100 productions in the UK, Europe and North America, bringing extraordinary life, through his intricately detailed and impressionistically beautiful aesthetic, to both the modern and classical repertoires, including acclaimed productions of plays by Buchner, Congreve, Otway, Shakespeare, Hampton, Orton, Osborne, Pinter, McCafferty and Wright.

He has with Chekhov as a writer and director throughout his life, in productions at the Royal Court, , the Royal Shakespeare Company and the . The only Welsh writer besides Dylan Thomas whose work has been staged by the Royal National Theatre, his plays include The Sleepers’ Den (Royal Court 1965), Over Words Photographs Gardens Out (Royal Court 1968), Small Change (Royal Court 1976), Kick for Touch (Royal Barney Helen Maybanks / Norris National Theatre Wales National Theatre 1983), East (Royal National Theatre 1997), Certain Young Men (Almeida 1999), The York Realist ( 2001), Original Sin (The Peter Gill was born in Cardiff in 1939, and Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 2002) and Another began his professional career as an actor. Door Closed (Theatre Royal Bath, 2009). After several years on stage, he began to write and direct while working at the His work has repeatedly examined the Cardiff Royal Court, where he was responsible for of his past as a ‘lost domain’ that can be introducing the plays of D.H.Lawrence to the imagined but never revisited, and his return theatre, and pioneered ideas of postmodernist to direct A Provincial Life (originally presented staging with his production of The Duchess at the Royal Court in 1966) marks his first of Malfi. His first play, The Sleepers’ Den, was collaboration with National Theatre Wales. staged at the theatre in 1965, and he has continued to present work at the Royal Court throughout his career. He was the founding director of Riverside Studios, which was for a period one of Europe’s leading arts centres, mixing a programme of home grown drama with an extraordinary roster of international artists from to Tadeusz Kantor, and of the National Theatre Studio, which quickly became one of the most important centres for the development of new work in Britain.

#NTW17 Share your views and join the conversation about the show on twitter @ntwtweets A PROVINCIAL LIFE SPRING 2012 04 PRODUCTIONS & PLAYS 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

64 70 80 92 01 Assistant Director at Associate Director at Royal Scrape Off the Black The Way of the World * Court Theatre Tunde Ikoli/Riverside Studios /Lyric Royal Shakespeare Company; Swan Theatre 65 Landscape and Silence 94 A Collier’s Friday Night /Lincoln Center, New York / New Speed-the-Plow D.H. Lawrence/Royal Court Theatre Riverside Studios Richard Nelson/ Daved Mamet/ Royal Shakespeare Company New Ambassador Theatre 66 /Stratford Festival, Associate Director of Royal The Dwarfs Canada National Theatre 95 Harold Pinter/Traverse Theatre /Royal National Theatre 71 81 Anton Chekhov/Field Day The Local Stigmatic A Month in the Country Theatre Company The York Realist* /Royal Court William Shakespeare/Stratford Ivan Turgenev trans Isaiah Berlin/ English Touring Company Theatre; Traverse Theatre Festival, Canada Royal National Theatre John Osborne/Royal Shakespeare The Look Across The Eyes/ O’Flaherty VC The Duchess of Malfi Don Juan Company; Barbican Lovely Evening* /Vancouver John Webster/Royal Court Theatre Molière trans John Fowles/ BBC Radio 4 Festival; Royal National Theatre * 72 Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon 02 A Provincial Life* Crete and Sergeant Pepper Original Sin* Royal Court Theatre John Antrobus/Royal Court Theatre Shakespeare/Royal National Theatre 97 Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Cardiff East* 67 82 03 The Daughter in Law Royal National Theatre The Soldier’s Fortune D.H. Lawrence, Schauspielhaus Bochum Danton’s Death Scenes from the Big Picture /Royal Court Theatre Owen McCafferty/ Georg Büchner/Royal National Theatre Tongue of a Bird 73 Royal National Theatre Ellen McLaughlin/ The Daughter-in-Law The Merry-Go-Round Major Barbara D.H. Lawrence/Royal Court Theatre 04 D.H. Lawrence/Royal Court Theatre George Bernard Shaw/ 99 Royal National Theatre Crimes of Passion 74 Certain Young Men* William Shakespeare/ Joe Orton/Royal Court Theatre 83 Almeida Theatre Royal Shakespeare Company Kick for Touch* William Shakespeare/ 05 68 Stratford-upon-Avon Royal National Theatre Friendly Fire* The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd BT National Connections Season Days of Wine and Roses D.H. Lawrence/Royal Court Theatre 75 Small Change* JP Miller/ Fishing Royal National Theatre 69 Michael Weller/New York Epitaph for George Dillon Life Price Shakespeare Festival Tales from Hollywood John Osborne and Anthony Creighton/ Jeremy Seabrook and Michael O’Neil/ / Comedy Theatre Royal Court Theatre Royal National Theatre 06 Shakespeare/Nottingham Playhouse; Much Ado About Nothing Festival 84 The Voysey Inheritance William Shakespeare/ Harley Granville-Barker/ Founder Director of Royal National Theatre The American Shakespeare Festival National Theatre Studio /Royal Court Theatre Over Gardens Out* Royal Court Theatre 76 Antigone John Osborne/Theatre Royal Bath Co-directed, trans C.A. Small Change* Trypanis/Royal National Theatre 07 The Sleepers’ Den* Royal Court Theatre Royal Court Theatre Gaslight Venice Preserv’d Patrick Hamilton/Old Vic Theatre Founder Director of Thomas Otway/Royal National Theatre Riverside Studios 08 The Importance of 78 /Royal National Theatre; Being Earnest The Cherry Orchard Royal Court Theatre /Theatre Royal Bath; Anton Chekhov/Riverside Studios 87 Mean Tears* Small Change* and William Royal National Theatre Donmar Warehouse Rowley/Riverside Studios Bow Down, Down by the 09 79 Greenwood Side Semper Dowland/The Corridor Measure for Measure Harrison Birtwistle/ Harrison Birtwistle/ William Shakespeare/ Queen Elizabeth Hall Britten Studio, Snape Riverside Studios The Marriage of Figaro Another Door Closed* W A Mozart/Leeds Grand Theatre Theatre Royal Bath 88 10 Mrs Klein Hens Nicholas Wright/ Alia Bano/Riverside Studios Royal National Theatre The Aliens 89 Annie Barker/The Juno and the Paycock Sean O’Casey/Lyric Hammersmith 11 The Breath of Life Key /Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield * Written by 12 Peter Gill A Provincial Life* National Theatre Wales Making Noise Quietly /Donmar Warehouse 05 NATIONAL THEATRE WALES A PROVINCIAL LIFE THE COMPANY

Cast Other Parts 01 02 Played By

Anyuta Ivanova Blagovo John Atkinson Kezia Burrows Luke Bridgeman Abigail Fitzgerald Maria Heledd Gwynn 03 Victorovna Dolzhikova Kristian Jenkins Jan Jones Alex Clatworthy Ryan Nolan Clare Parry Jones Prokofy Ian Phillips Richard Corgan John Redpath Liane Walters 04 Madame Azhogina John Williams

Helen Griffin 05 Boris Ivanov Blagovo Lee Haven-Jones Victor Ivanov Dolzhikov Mark Lewis 07 06 Cleopatra Alexandrovna Poloznev Sara Lloyd-Gregory Ivan Mikhailovich Cheprakov John-Paul Macleod 09 Workman Liam Mansfield 08 10 Alexandr Pavlovich Poloznev Clive Merrison Old man/ Governor of the Province Kenneth Price

Shopkeeper/Berlichev 12 Ieuan Rhys Misail 11 13 Alexandrovich Poloznev Nicholas Shaw Andrey Ivanov William Thomas Karpovna/Madame Mufke

Menna Trussler 15

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#NTW17 Photographs Share your Helen Maybanks / views and National Theatre Wales join the conversation about the show on twitter @ntwtweets A PROVINCIAL LIFE SPRING 2012 06

01 02 03 04 05 Kezia Burrows Alex Clatworthy Richard Corgan Helen Griffin Lee Haven-Jones

Trained at RADA. Trained at the Guildhall Trained at Theatre credits include: Theatre Cymru Associate. School of Music & Drama, Theatre School. The Devil Inside Him (National Theatre Wales), Small Change, Shadow Of Theatre credits include: where she won the 2011 A Boy, acclaimed one-woman show Theatre credits include: Venice Preserved (Arcola), A Man For Michael Bryant Award. Theatre credits include: Caitlin (Sherman Cymru), Mary Stuart, Festen and All Seasons, Kind Hearts & Coronets, Flowers From Tunisia (Torch), (Ludlow Festival). (Theatr Clwyd), Memory and Night To Kill A Mockingbird (PFT), The Must Fall (Theatr Clwyd/59E59 Theatre credits include: Taming Of The Shrew (Globe), Frozen Merchant of Venice (Creation), The (Sherman), It’s About Me (), TV credits include: Theatre, NYC), The Pull of Negative Misanthrope, The Bald Prima Donna Sleeping Beauty (Birmingham Rep). Money, Science, Me (Everyman), Gravity (Traverse Theatre), Romeo a ( Rd), Much Ado About Nothing ; Getting On; Criminal Juliet (Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru), Romeo & Juliet (’s Justice Two; Vivian Vyle Show; Con (YSC), Measure for Measure (Sherman). Television credits include: Men), Ballad Of Blood & Darling (Rose and The Bacchai (National Theatre). Passionata; Dr Who ‘The Age Of Steel’, Henry IV Parts One & Two directed Theatre), The Long, The Short & The , . TV credits include: by Sir (BBC), The Bench Tall (Pleasance), La Fanciulla Del West Television credits include: CRASH, Casualty (BBC), and Want 2TLK Science? (BBC Wales), (), Macbeth, The Gwaith Cartref (Fiction Factory), Phoneshop (E4). Treflan (Alfresco), Pawb At Y Bwrdd Changeling (Barbican), Phoenix & The Film credits include: Caerdydd () and Love in a Cold and Hotel Eddie (Apollo). Carpet (Bristol Old Vic). Little White Lies (Bafta Cymru Best Climate (BBC). Film credits include: Actress 2007), Risen, Human Traffic. Capgras Tide (Upstart), The Way of Radio credits include: Television credits include: Her one-woman show, Who’s Afraid Of Film credits include: the Monkeys Claw (Nowhere Fast), Rachel Roberts, tours Wales in May, Evacuees and Meddwl (BBC Wales). Baker Boys, Doctors, Casualty, (Torch Theatre). The and Perfect Day. With These Hands (Room 16). Caught In The Web, The B Word (BBC). Television directing Radio credits include: Film credits include: The Anarchist in the Basement. credits include: Magpie, Colin, Hindsight. Radio Indian Doctor (BBC) and Alys (S4C). includes: Blue Remembered Hills.

06 07 08 09 10 Mark Lewis Sara Lloyd-Gregory John-Paul Macleod Liam Mansfield Clive Merrison

Trained at the Central School of Trained at the Royal Welsh Trained at RADA. Trained at Mountview Academy Theatre credits include: Speech and Drama and for many College of Music and Drama. of Theatre Arts and graduated The History Boys (NT and Broadway), years was associated with the Theatre credits include: Credible Witness (Royal Court), The in June 2011. Cocktail Party (Lyceum), The Madness Theatre, . He Theatre credits include: Spies (Theatre Alibi), of George 111 (NT and Broadway). has worked at the National ‘n’ Under (Black Rat), Romeo (Headlong/Liverpool Everyman) Theatre credits include: and Juliet (Wales Theatre Co), The directed by , Passion Theatre, The Royal Exchange, (NTW) directed by , Under Milk Wood (Farnham Rep), TV credits include: American Pilot and A Midsummer Fameless (Sotto Voce), 24 Hour The Riverside, The Donmar, Night’s Dream (RWCMD). All Night dream about being good Peep Show, Monday Monday, Egypt, (The Yard Hackney). Plays: Old Vic New Voices (Old Vic Foyles War, Julius Caesar. Clive will The Arcola, among others and Theatre), (Maxim appear in Bert and Dickie for the Television credits include: worked with writer/directors Television credits include: Theatre, Stockholm) BBC in 2012. such as and Alys, Con Passionate, Y Pris (S4C), Thorne: Sleepyhead (Sky 1), Tess of Casualty (BBC), Doctors (BBC), . He has appeared My Boy Jack (ITV) Film credits include: Film credits include: the D’Urbervilles, , Belonging Ushers (Jukka Productions). in TV series, Films and Radio. (BBC), Sleep With Me and Affinity (ITV). History Boys, Saving Grace, Film credits include: The English Patient and Heavenly Creatures. Film credits include: Small Miracles (Snake River), To Kill Little White Lies (Red & Black a King (Fairfax Films), Calendar Girls Films), A Way of Life (AWOL Films). (Buena Vista) Radio credits include: Last Tango in Aberystwyth (BBC Radio 4).

11 12 13 14 15 Kenneth Price Ieuan Rhys Nicholas Shaw William Thomas Menna Trussler

Trained at the Bristol Trained at Royal Welsh College Trained at Drama Centre London. Work spans four decades, and Theatre credits include: Old Vic Theatre School of Music and Drama. he received a nomination for Girls, , Side by and his extensive theatre Best Actor at the BAFTA Cymru Side by Sondheim, Midsummer Night’s Theatre credits include: Dream and (Swansea work includes seasons at Theatre credits include: Phaedra’s Love (Arcola, London), Awards (2007) for his portrayal Grand), Bedside Manners, Green Scarborough, Manchester The Winter’s Tale, The Merchant of (Northern Broadsides), Tis of Glyn in the award winning Favours, Loose Ends and A Kiss on Pity She’s A Whore and Anthology Royal Exchange, Bristol Old Venice (Ludlow Festival), Amdani Con Passionate. the Bottom (Sherman Theatre), (Sgript Cymru), Hamlet, Amazing (Liverpool Everyman/Slung Low), (Clwyd Theatr Cymru), Family Planning Vic, Keswick, Salisbury and Grace, Romeo and Juliet, The Thorn The Fairy Queen (Glyndebourne/Opera (Grass Roots). the West End. His film credits Birds, Contender (Wales Theatre Comique/BAM), Romeo and Juliet Other television credits include: Company), , My Fair and A Midsummer Night’s Dream include, John and Yoko, (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park), , Midsomer Murders, Alys, Television credits include: Lady (Aberystwyth Arts Centre), The Gavin & Stacey, Belonging (10 Series), Fierce Creatures and Diana Hired Man (The Torch Theatre), Sawl Merchant of Venice and Holding Fire! Stella (Sky), Come Fly With Me, (Shakespeare’s Globe), and Easter Grass, Fun at the Funeral Parlour and Crash, Jam and Jerusalem (3 series), and Me, whilst his numerous yn Syrthio (3D Theatre Company), Bred We Are Seven. William also plays in Heaven (Frapetsus Productions). (Oxford Stage Company), for which Torchwood II, Casualty, Doctors, Little television appearances include he received an Geraint Cooper in the BBC & US Series, Britain (3 series), The Bench and , The Atomic Inferno, Award commendation. Torchwood. Film credits includes Thicker Than Water (BBC), Alys, Y Television credits include: Mr Nice (Kodak Award Winner); Casualty, The Chief, A Touch of Pris, Os Byw Ac Iach, Bydd Yn Wrol, Stella, Ar y Tracs (Tidy Productions), Longitude (2001 BAFTA Winner for Pam Fi Duw?, (S4C), Spice and The Bill. Doctor Who, Rocket Man, High Hopes Television credits include: Best Drama Serial); Solomon & Gaenor; In the Company of Strangers and (BBC Television), (BBC), Land Girls, The Rotters’ Club, and Twin Town. We Are Seven (HTV), Liquorice Alsorts Pobol y Cwm (BBC Wales), Y Pris The Romantics (BBC); Foyle’s War, (Daffodil Productions). (Fiction Factory) Afterlife (ITV); Goldplated (). Film credits include: Film credits include: The Englishman Who Went Up A Family Ties (Beryl Productions), Hill But Came Down A Mountian Plotz with a View (CFI Films), (MIRAMAX),Masterpiece (Burn Hand Human Traffic (Fruit Salad Films), Film Production Ltd) August (Granada Films). Radio credits include: Writing the Century 14 (BBC Radio 4), Ceri Elen (BBC Radio Cymru). 07 NATIONAL THEATRE WALES A PROVINCIAL LIFE ENSEMBLE

01 01

John Atkinson 02

02 Luke Bridgeman

03 Abigail Fitzgerald

04 Heledd Gwynn

05 03 Kristian Jenkins 04 06 Jan Jones

07 Ryan Nolan

08 06 05 Clare Parry Jones

09 Ian Phillips

10 08 John Redpath

11

Liane Walters 07 09

12 John Williams

10 11

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#NTW17 Share your views and join the conversation about the show on twitter @ntwtweets A PROVINCIAL LIFE SPRING 2012 08 THE CREATIVE TEAM

Designer Lighting Designer Alison Chitty Paul Pyant Thank you

See Alison’s profile on pages 09-10 Paul is a graduate of the Royal Props Supervisor Costumes Academy of Dramatic Art, and works Jane Slattery With thanks to in opera, ballet, musicals and theatre National Theatre worldwide. He has a long-established association with Glyndebourne Opera, Costume Supervisor Hire, Angels , The Royal Carrie Bayliss and Cosprop Stage Sound Services Sound Designer Opera, , National Theatre, English National Ballet, The Donmar Mike Beer Warehouse, The Almeida Theatre Wigs Supervisor Wigs and Northern Ballet Theatre. Recent Joyce Beagarie With thanks to productions include: Grief (National National Theatre Theatre), Richard III (), Mike started his career at the Sherman Assistant Director Hire and Wig Aspects of Love (Menier Chocolate (part of National Theatre Wales’ Specialities Theatre Cardiff in 1986. Factory), House of Games (Almeida), Emerging Director Scheme) Betrothal in a Monastery (Theatre Julia Thomas Since then he has toured Theatre du Capitol and Opera Comique), The Cardiff Theatrical and Corporate events world wide Heretic (Royal Court), and Hobson‘s Services over the last 20 years with companies Choice (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield). Assistant Designer including DV8 Physical Theatre, Theatre Louie Whitemore Royal Bath, Bristol Old Vic, Diversions Stage Sound Dance, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Services Birmingham Stage, Theatr Clwyd, Production Manager Act Productions, Fiery Angel, Theatr David Evans Gwynedd, Imagination, Sony and Ford Bristol Old Vic Motor Car Company. Company Stage Manager Jacob Gough and Mike’s designs include: Coasting Matthew North and for Bristol Old Thomas Reilly Vic, The Passion, Love Steals Us From Loneliness and The Persians Deputy Stage Manager Chris Ricketts and for National Theatre Wales, Deffro’r Rachel Burgess all at the Sherman Gwanwyn for Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, BFG for Fiery Angel, Great Expectations for Aberystwyth Art Assistant Stage Manager Centres, Desire Lines, The Borrowers Ryan Tate and Merlin for The Sherman Theatre Fiona Curtis Company, The Firework Maker’s Daughter and Danny the Champion of the World for Birmingham Stage Head of Wardrobe Company, Single Spies, Legal Fictions Jo Reynolds and The Importance of Being Earnest for The Theatre Royal Bath, Don Quixote Production Electrician for West Yorkshire Playhouse. Ceri James Mike works as full time Sound

Designer and Production Consultant Production Sound for Stage Sound Services. Rhodri Hunt

Assistant Designer Composer Louie Whitemore

Terry Davies Observer Assistant Designer Kitty Callister Terry has written for many theatre productions at the National Theatre, Observer Assistant Designer RSC, West End, around the UK and Holly Pigott elsewhere. His productions with Peter Gill include The Aliens (Bush), Look Back in Anger (Theatre Royal, Student Stage Management Placement Bath), The Voysey Inheritance (Royal Rhodri Hunt National Theatre), Romeo and Juliet

(Royal Shakespeare Company), Promoter Original Sin (Sheffield) and The York Realist (English Touring Theatre/Royal Anna Poole Court). He is an artistic associate @annaloupoole of choreographer Matthew Bourne, composing for his Lord of the Flies, Dorian Gray, Edward Scissorhands, The Car Man and Play Without Words for which he received an Olivier Award. He has conducted the music for nearly 50 films including W.E., The King’s Speech, The Illusionist, Another Year and Brideshead Revisited. 09 NATIONAL THEATRE WALES A PROVINCIAL LIFE ALISON CHITTY

Photographs Helen Maybanks / National Theatre Wales

Alison has had a distinguished international career in theatre, opera and film. Her theatre Alison’s credits include eight years as resident Studio designer at the National Theatre where she designed many productions, including Venice Preserv’d, , Bacchae, The Voysey Inheritance and Mike Leigh’s Two Thousand Years. She has just designed Mike Leigh’s new play, Grief. She has worked in opera houses throughout the world, including Chicago, Seattle, Munich and Paris. Recently she designed the highly acclaimed world Research premiere of Harrison Birtwistle’s The Minotaur Material at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and Rigoletto for La Fenice, Venice.

Film credits include: Aria, Turn of the Screw, and several Mike Leigh films including Life is Sweet, Naked and Secrets and Lies.

In recognition of her particular approach to teaching, and commitment to developing the talent of young theatre designers and practitioners, Alison was awarded The Misha Black Award in 2006, The Award in 2008 and a Fellowship of Birkbeck, London University in 2011.

#NTW17 Share your views and join the conversation about the show on twitter @ntwtweets A PROVINCIAL LIFE SPRING 2012 10 PRODUCTIONS 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

Trained at St Martins and 70 80 94 01 Central Schools of Art Assistant Designer at Victoria Julius Caesar* Khovanshchina Olivier Award: Theatre, Stoke on Trent William Shakespeare/ Olivier Award: Best Production Best Costume Design for Riverside Studios Modest Mussorgsky/ Remembrance of Things Past 74 English National Opera Royal National Theatre Head of Design at Victoria 81 Theatre, Stoke on Trent Much Ado About Nothing* Billy Budd 02 William Shakespeare/ Bacchae 79 Benjamin Britten/Grand Theatre Geneva Royal National Theatre Euripides/Royal National Theatre Measure for Measure* 96 William Shakespeare/ 84 The Mask of Orpheus 04 Riverside Studios Fool for Love* Harrison Birtwistle/ Received OBE Sam Shepard/Royal National Theatre 97 05 British Drama Award: Best Cardiff East* Two Thousand Years Designer for Venice Preserv’d* Peter Gill/Royal National Theatre Mike Leigh/Royal National Theatre

87 98 06 Mean Tears* Misha Black Award for Peter Gill/Royal National Theatre Tristan and Isolde Richard Wagner/Seattle Opera Innovation in Design Education 07 The Bartered Bride Olivier Award: Bedrˇich Smetana/Covent Garden Best Costume Design for The Voysey Inheritance* Royal National Theatre

08 The Young Vic Award 09 Royal Designer for Industry 11 Grief Mike Leigh/Royal National Theatre

Awarded Fellowship of Birbeck, London University

Key * Directed by Peter Gill

Costume Palette 11 NATIONAL THEATRE WALES A PROVINCIAL LIFE DR CHEKHOV AND THE NEEDY HUMAN

In 1875, when he was 15, his father But his subject is the human comedy fled from town hidden under a mat of people (like his protagonist) who at the bottom of a cart after his dream of changing their own lives grocery business failed. A year later and the world but generally find the the rest of the family’s humiliation was best they can manage is to get on complete when a former lodger bought with the drudgery they were born their house and turned them out. to; and people (like his protagonist’s father) who can’t see why anything Staying on in Taganrog until he should change in their comfortable was 19, Chekhov was also displaced universe. Narrowness of horizons is in another sense. His grandfather what defines provincialism. had been a serf, part of Russia’s vast underclass literally owned by ‘Scenes from Provincial Life’ was the the country’s landowners until subtitle for his funny, heart-breaking Tsar Alexander II freed them in 1861 Uncle Vanya, and the title was later and created a workforce for the huge used by the great South African writer network of railways he planned. They J M Coetzee for his thinly veiled were routinely characterised as lazy, autobiography. Chekhov (with Ibsen) sly, drunk, ignorant and suspicious. was setting the agenda for modern western drama; Beckett, Pinter and But Chekhov was educated, sober and Ayckbourn are all in his debt. Words industrious. He enrolled as a medical student in Moscow and began writing Chekhov doesn’t sneer at us, as Paul humorous pieces for small magazines. Allen perhaps a metropolitan writer might Working his way up the market and for easy laughs. But he doesn’t indulge the ladder of literary ambition, he or sentimentalise us either. He is the turned out hundreds of stories before outsider who can show us the funny, writing his four great plays: The heart-breaking truth. Ever felt that a more exciting, more Seagull, Uncle Vanya, fulfilling life was going on somewhere and The Cherry Orchard. else? That if only you got the breaks, had the education, met the right people The long story My Life out of which you could make everything better? Or Peter Gill made his play A Provincial that if you moved to London, Paris or Life came just as Chekhov was New York the unique flame of your blossoming as a dramatist towards the talent would be recognised at last? end of his life. In all of them you’ll find many a reference to medicine (which If so, Chekhov writes for you, and about he regarded as his ‘wife’, with literature you. He writes about what it feels his ‘mistress’), to education (he built like to be provincial with the intimate three schools) and even to railways. understanding of someone who was born 700 miles from the in a You’ll also find pre-echoes of the small port on Russia’s southern coast. Russian Revolution and astonishingly topical references to the environment or to the impossibility of justice and Mammon living together.

A Provincial Life By Peter Gill NOW Featuring the full text of the play alongside details of this AVAILABLE new production, this is a great souvenir to take home and keep forever.

#NTW17 Purchase your copy in the foyer Share your now, or online at views and join the shop.nationaltheatrewales.org conversation about the show on twitter @ntwtweets