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CAST OF CHARACTERS MARC ANTOLIN...... MARC CHAGALL DAISY MAYWOOD...... BELLA CHAGALL Paul Crewes Rachel Fine Artistic Director Managing Director JAMES GOW...... MUSICIAN IAN ROSS...... MUSICIAN presents the U.S. PREMIERE of the Kneehigh and production of Directors Note Before his wedding to Bella, Marc says of the ‘She looks like you’ it read, and with those guests: “Look at them... If only they knew. This words it all began. It felt as if, through time isn’t the crisp white start they think it is. My and form, one couple looked another in the knowing you has already seeped backwards eye. Marc and Bella challenged us to be artists as well as forwards in time so my whole life is and, looking back, I believe they provoked our pervaded with the colour of loving you.” creative ‘birthday’. We slipped our happy young feet into the shoes of these incredible people I feel that I could say the same of my relationship and started to imagine a life far more complex with The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk. It reaches into and threatened than our own. the future whilst holding onto the past; reigniting parts of my own history that might perhaps have Returning to this show in 2016, many things WRITTEN BY stayed dimmed if this precious show hadn’t had changed. Married no more, Dan and I brought them back into the light. were able to revisit Marc and Bella older, Daniel Jamieson kinder and wiser. This time we slipped our DIRECTED BY Written over 25 years ago, I was the original middle-aged feet into shoes more delicate and Emma Rice Bella. Marc was played by the author, Daniel perhaps a little more uncomfortable. Now the Jamieson. We were a couple, soon to be couple from the painting in Paris challenged STARRING married and, in those days, the play was called us to look round corners and dig more deeply Marc Antolin, James Gow, Daisy Maywood, Ian Ross Birthday. Made by two people very much in into the politics of their lives: personal and love about two people very much in love, I historical. They demanded we showed a life COMPOSER & MUSIC DIRECTOR remember vividly the passion we felt for the not only filled with hope, love and invention, Ian Ross piece. It was the 1990s and we were fascinated but also one filled with fear, homelessness by Eastern Europe. We had both visited Poland and personal compromise. I feel I have grown and trained with the Gardzienice up with Marc and Bella. The Flying Lovers of SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGNER LIGHTING DESIGNER SOUND DESIGNER Association. We had heard first hand stories of Vitebsk swirls around my life like fragments Sophia Clist Malcolm Rippeth Simon Baker communism and Martial Law, and had had the of a beautiful broken mirror, moving through privilege of witnessing a fearless and ferocious space and time. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR CHOREOGRAPHERS CASTING DIRECTORS kind of theatre-making that made British Keziah Serreau Emma Rice and Georgia Simpson, CDG and theatre look feeble by comparison. We resolved Perhaps the fragments are not quite in the Etta Murfitt Lucy Taylor to change the world and set about becoming same place or order as they once were, or Master and Mistress of our own fate. On a visit where I thought they would end up, but they PRODUCTION MANAGER COMPANY STAGE MANAGER to Paris we saw Marc Chagall’s Double Portrait are beautiful and precious nonetheless. I carry Aled William Thomas Steph Curtis with a Glass of Wine in the Pompidou Centre. It it in my heart. loomed over us with a mysterious joy, toasting the possibilities of life. Dan wrote me a poem. — Emma Rice FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 11, 2018 Bram Goldsmith Theater

Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission

This production is made possible in part by the generous support of Camille and Arnon Adar.

Theater @ The Wallis Series is sponsored by Montage Beverly Hills and Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills.

PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P23 About the Production About the Artists

MARC ANTOLIN DANIEL JAMIESON (Writer) for the last 27 Clist with Nick Burge, Exeter Cathedral); And The Writers Note (Marc Chagall) Theatre: years has worked for Exeter-based Theatre Alibi as Horse You Rode In On (, Barbican, Romantics Anonymous (Sam an actor, joint artistic director (1995-2000) and Brighton Festival, Drum Theatre Plymouth); 16 The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is first and America by the skin of their teeth in 1941. But Wanamaker Playhouse); Twelfth writer. In 2015 he won an ACA award for his writing Singers (Katherine Morley, Dance Umbrella, The foremost a love story. From the moment they there is a contemporary resonance to The Flying Night (Shakespeare’s Globe); for children with the company. His plays for Alibi Egg); Life Forces (Jane Mason with Phil Smith); fell for each other in Vitebsk, Belarus in 1909, Lovers of Vitebsk as well because it deals with Peter Pan (National Theatre); include: Falling; Hammer and Tongs; Goucher’s Grandmothers (Encounters Arts); Phenomenal The Trial Taken at War; Cobbo; Caught; One in a Million; The Freeze; People In This Place Marc Chagall and his wife, Bella, seemed to the trauma of the refugee experience. In exile, (); (Fuel); (Pentabus Theatre). Midnight (/Chichester Shelf Life; Little White Lies; The Swell; Sea of Faces Associate Artist of Theatre-Rites 1997-2007, Sophia share a particular way of seeing the world. Marc and Bella watched in horror as the Jewish Minerva); Amadeus, Singin’ in the Rain, The Music and Birthday. He has also adapted novels by co-created the company’s award-winning dance Bella was a talented writer and her description homeland of their youth was systematically Man (Chichester Festival Theatre); From Here to Charles Dickens, Graham Greene, Michael theatre production Mischief with Arthur Pita - of their first encounter is like a Chagall destroyed and the Nazis set about murdering Eternity (); Matilda (RSC Morpurgo and Dick King-Smith for the company. Sadler’s Wells. Sophia is currently working with Courtyard Theatre/); Into the Other theatre work includes: A Box of Photographs Improbable on The Paper Man - Norfolk and painting in words: “The door opened wider…I the entire Jewish population of Europe. There Woods, Hello, Dolly! (Regents Park Open Air and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, (Polka Theatre); Norwich festival, La Strada, Graz. felt hot with apprehension…as if something is a strong sense of their homesickness for a Theatre); Billy Liar (UK Tour) and Imagine This (New Where’s the Bear, Wish Wash, Knitwits and were scorching me. Light spread over the home that no longer exists. Theatre). Film: London Road, Coconut Shy Flathampton (Northampton ). For BBC R4 MALCOLM RIPPETH (Lighting Designer) walls, and against them appeared the face of and Love Actually. Television: “More Than Love”. Daniel has written Lodsell Cod, Grooming, Jim and is an Associate Artist of Kneehigh, productions Tonic, Building Happiness and Charity. In 2013, include: The Tin Drum; 946: The Amazing Story of a boy…his eyes, they were as blue as if they’d This must surely echo the experience of those DAISY MAYWOOD (Bella Daniel was Leverhulme artist-in-residence at the Adolphus Tips; The Wild Bride; The Umbrellas of fallen straight out of the sky.” who’ve fled from Mosul or Homs or Rakhine Chagall) Theatre credits include: University of Exeter’s Mood Disorders Centre. He is Cherbourg and Tristan & Yseult. He is the recipient State today. If and when these people can Fran Kubelik in Promises currently writing a screenplay of The Flying Lovers of a WhatsOnStage Award and a Village Voice OBIE Famously, Marc often painted himself and return, will there be anything left of the home Promises (Southwark of Vitebsk and he is excited to be developing a new for his work on Kneehigh’s Brief Encounter (West Playhouse); Humpty in wonder. show with Kneehigh about Marie Curie for 2019. End and Broadway), and has recently been Bella flying together, as if their shared joy had they left behind? The theme of exile also gives land (National Theatre); Medea nominated for Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and such force it defied the law of gravity itself. In the show an international flavor, which carries (National Theatre); Bebe in A EMMA RICE (Director & Co-Choreographer) is New York Drama Desk Awards for his work with the his painting Birthday, they appear surprised through into the language — many of the Chorus Line (); Maria in West Artistic Director for Shakespeare’s Globe and for company. His other work includes: Twelfth Night, by their flight, rising towards the ceiling like songs are in Yiddish, Russian or French. There Side Story (RSC/Sage Gateshead); Dainty June in them has directed Romantics Anonymous, Twelfth The Little Matchgirl and Romantics Anonymous Gypsy and Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street (Leicester Night, The Little Matchgirl and A Midsummer (Shakespeare’s Globe); Titus Andronicus and The two astonished bubbles of ecstasy. In Over the is a celebration of the texture of different Curve); Meg in The Phantom Of The Opera - 25th Night’s Dream. For the last 24 years she has worked Empress (RSC); Decade and Six Characters in Search Town, they drift high over Vitebsk as you only languages, their beauty beyond meaning. In Anniversary (Royal Albert Hall); Ensemble in Les for Kneehigh as an actor, director and Artistic of an Author (Headlong); The Boy in the Striped fly in dreams, but magically sharing the same this way the show invites an enjoyment of Miserables - 25th Anniversary (O2/Queens Theatre). Director. Her productions for Kneehigh include: Pyjamas (Chichester Festival Theatre); Calendar Girls floating reverie. There can be few more vivid moving between cultures as if laying down TV: April Compton in “Doctors”, BBC. 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips; Tristan (West End/Australia/Canada); The Dead (Abbey Film: London Road, CUBA pictures. & Yseult; The Red Shoes; The Wooden Frock; The Dublin); The Birthday Party (Manchester Royal evocations in art of how it feels to be in love. rugs between houses for a party. Perhaps we Bacchae; Cymbeline (in association with RSC); A Exchange); Spur of the Moment (Royal Court); don’t always need to understand each other’s IAN ROSS (Musician, Matter of Life and Death (in association with Wallflower (Quarantine); Pleasure (Opera North); The Chagalls’ story is also remarkable because every word to enjoy each other’s company. Composer & Music Director) National Theatre); Rapunzel (in association with Idomeneo (Garsington Opera); In Parenthesis Brief Encounter Le Premier Meurtre it is so interwoven with 20th-century history. is a multi-instrumentalist, Arts Centre); (in (WNO); (Opéra de Lille) and associate artist of Kneehigh and association with David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers Alcina (Santa Fe Opera). Marc was in Paris before the First World War, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is quite unusual for composer. He leads the band Production); Don John (in association with the RSC when Modernism was at its height and Cubism Kneehigh in that it only has two Eleven Magpies. As a performer and Bristol Old Vic); The Wild Bride; Wah! Wah! SIMON BAKER (Sound Designer) is an was just taking off. He briefly returned to characters — just Marc and Bella — but it has Ian has toured extensively with Girls (in association with Sadler’s Wells and Theatre associate artist at (London), Kneehigh Steptoe Russia to marry Bella and got trapped there the chutzpah of Kneehigh’s grander work Kneehigh over the last 10 years in shows including: Royal Stratford East for World Stages) and and part of Emma Rice’s new company, Wise The Red Shoes; Don John; The Wild Bride and and Son. Other work includes: the West End Children. He is recipient of several awards including by the war, narrowly avoiding conscription on a chamber scale. This intimacy suits what Tristan & Yseult. As composer: Twelfth Night production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The an Olivier for Matilda. Most recent work includes: into the Tsar’s army. They were then swept remains, after all, at its heart, the (Shakespeare’s Globe) and The Very Old Man with Empress (RSC) and An Audience with Meow Meow Pinocchio (National Theatre); Girl From The North up in the Russian Revolution and when they story of two people in love. Enormous Wings (Kneehigh). Ian is very excited to (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). She was made an Country (West End); Groundhog Day (Broadway); A Christmas Carol, The Caretaker, Master Builder did finally make it back to Western Europe, be joining Emma Rice on her new adventure, Wise Honorary Fellow of Falmouth University last and Children, in 2018. year for her outstanding contribution to the Future Conditional (Old Vic); Grinning Man (West they got caught up in the beginnings of the — Daniel Jamieson dramatic arts and Brief Encounter is returning to End and Bristol Old Vic), Romantics Anonymous, Holocaust. They just escaped from France to JAMES GOW (Musician) the West End. Her new company, Wise Children, Twelfth Night and A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream is a multi-instrumentalist and will premiere its first production in autumn (Shakespeare’s Globe); Matilda (Worldwide); 946: composer with a BA in Music 2018 and is the next big adventure of her career! The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, Rebecca, The from the School of Oriental and Wild Bride, The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg, Brief African Studies, University of SOPHIA CLIST (Scenic & Costume Designer) Encounter (Olivier & Tony Nominations) and Steptoe London. Outside of the theatre works from a background of sculpture making and Son (Kneehigh); The Light Princess (Olivier he plays with or alongside participatory and interactive work. Recent projects Nomination) and The Amen Corner (National Theatre). several bands including: Still Blue Life; Cocos include: Journey to the Impossible (Little Soldier, Lovers; Molly’s Lips; Eleven Magpies and Three The Bike Shed Theatre); Get Happy (Told by An Idiot, Cane Whale. James has also appeared in Dead Dog Beijing Comedy Festival, Théâtres de la Ville de in a Suitcase (and other love songs), Tristan & Yseult Luxembourg); Parallelist (Clay Gold & Laura Moody, and Brief Encounter for Kneehigh. Aldeburgh Festival); Stretch (Sophia

P24 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P25 About the Artists

KEZIAH SERREAU (Assistant Director) is a KNEEHIGH STAFF ADDITIONAL STAFF director whose work includes: Strike! ( ARTISTIC DIRECTOR COMPANY STAGE MANAGER CircusFest); Tourettes Hero’s grand finale for the Mike Shepherd Steph Curtis BBC’s “Live from Television Centre” (BBC & BAC), EXECUTIVE PRODUCER DEPUTY STAGE MANAGER Turfed as part of the London International Festival of Ali Robertson Helen Comerford Theatre (LIFT); Hamlet Project in Israel/Palestine GENERAL MANAGER/DIRECTOR OF RAMBLES WALLIS STAGE MANAGER (ATC); The Dark Side of Love at the Roundhouse for Charlotte Bond David Lober the World Shakespeare Festival (LIFT, RSC, PRODUCER SOUND OPERATOR Roundhouse) and Narcissus with the Roundhouse Liz King Charlie Simpson circus company. Keziah has worked as assistant/ COMPANY MANAGER COSTUME SUPERVISOR associate to Emma Rice and Kneehigh for many Steph Curtis Bryony Clayden years. As staff director at Shakespeare’s Globe shows ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR COSTUME MAKERS include: Midsummer Night’s Dream; Macbeth; 946: Keziah Serreau Mandy Haslam, Clare Ramsell, Will Skeet The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips; Little Match DEVELOPMENT MANAGER & Sally Spratley Girl; The White Devil and Twelfth Night. Bethany Lyne PROP MAKERS As an assistant/associate to Emma Rice and MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Liz Vass, Lulu Butcher, Sophia Clist, Kneehigh, she has worked on: The Umbrellas of Teri Laing Chris Pirie, Tim Sykes Cherbourg; Wah! Wah! Girls and Rebecca. She has FINANCE OFFICER SET BUILDERS also worked as assistant/associate to Lyndsey Turner Fiona Buxton Wild Creations (), Mohamed EL Khatib ADMINISTRATOR (Birmingham Rep), Annie Ryan and Iqbal Khan Taryn Harris NOTES (Shakespeare’s Globe). PRODUCTION ASSISTANT The original version of The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk Chloe Kitching was performed as Birthday by Theatre Alibi in 1992. ETTA MURFITT (Co-Choreographer) is an RAMBLES LEAD ARTIST Writer, Daniel Jamieson; Associate Artist of Kneehigh company and has Anna Maria Murphy Director, Nikki Sved; choreographed The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, PRESS & PR Designer, Dominic Hooper; Midnight’s Pumpkin, The Wild Bride, Steptoe and Clióna Roberts, CRPR Lighting Designer, Paul Tyler, Son, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, PHOTOGRAPHER Original Cast: Daniel Jamieson and Emma Rice. Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs) and Steve Tanner The Tin Drum. Etta has recently become an FILM MAKER Permission to perform the English translation of Associate of Shakespeare’s Globe. She is also the Brett Harvey Rachel Korn’s poem No One Knows It granted by Associate Artistic Director of Matthew Bourne’s ILLUSTRATOR the rights holder and originally appeared in New Adventures and Re: Bourne (their education Daryl Waller Generations: Selected Poems Mosaic Press, 1982. arm). She has created, performed in and collaborated on many productions with New ABOUT BRISTOL OLD VIC (Co-Producer) is Thanks to Ciaran Clarke and Russell Clarke; Sasha Adventures including Nutcracker!, Swan Lake, the oldest continuously-working theatre in the Tyuftey and David Schneider from the London Cinderella, The Car Man, Edward Scissorhands, United Kingdom. Our mission is to create Yiddish Group; Peter and Irina Scorer; Nick Sleeping Beauty and The Red Shoes. pioneering twenty-first century theatre in Ferguson and Lin Potter at Wrightsure; Ed Parry, partnership with the people of Bristol; inspired by David Miller and Matt Harrison. ABOUT KNEEHIGH (Co-Producer) For 35 years the history and magical design of the most Kneehigh have created vigorous, popular and beautiful playhouse in the country. We are led by challenging theatre, with joyful anarchy. We have artists who see the world with distinctive clarity The American stage performed everywhere from village halls to castles, and whose ability to articulate what they see allows manager engaged for this us to understand and engage with our world production appears courtesy disused quarries to conventional stages all over the of Actors Equity. world. From our breath-taking barns in Cornwall we afresh. The company’s programme includes create theatre of humanity on an epic and tiny scale. original production, artist development and Led by Mike Shepherd, we work with an ever- outreach; its work connecting on a local, national changing bunch of talented and likeminded and international level. In 2016, Bristol Old Vic performers, artists, makers and musicians and are marked its 250th birthday, celebrating with a passionate about the creative process. We’re often season of work from the theatre’s history as well as asked how we make our shows and we’ve created its future. Work also began on the final phase of an exclusive website to give you a glimpse behind the building’s capital development, which will we are proud to support the the scenes. The Cookbook is crammed full of videos, deliver a new foyer and studio theatre in 2018 documents, pictures and plans, providing you with designed by Stirling Prize winning architects Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts some of the magic ingredients that go into our . shows. Sign up for free today at kneehighcookbook. and the 2017 - 2018 season co.uk. Kneehigh.co.ukWeAreKneehigh [Facebook/ Instagram/Twitter icons]For Kneehigh GEORGIE | SPA MONTAGE | £10 | THE ROOFTOP GRILL | THE GARDEN BAR

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