Bertolt Brecht's

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

Translated by Frank McGuinness

Writer
Bertolt Brecht
Translated by Frank McGuinness

Director
Vik Sivalingam

Location
The Sainsbury Theatre

Download Cast Sheet

Dates
Monday 13 February at 7:30pm

Tuesday 14 February at 7:30pm
Wednesday 15 February at 7:30pm*
Thursday 16 February at 2pm
Thursday 16 February at 7:30pm

The running time is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes including an interval.

*This was a relaxed performance. Find out more.

About the show

In the heat of civil war, a mother abandons her son, and the responsibility to rear the child falls upon Grusha, a servant girl. She sacrifices everything in order to respectfully raise the young boy as her own, but when the biological mother returns a debate arises as to who the rightful mother of the boy is.

This is a fresh and powerful translation of Brecht's incendiary masterpiece by one of the most respected translators in modern literature. 

Bertold Brecht (1898-1956) is one of Germany's best-known playwrights. His social critiques, including The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Mother Courage and Her Children and The Threepenny Opera, resonate with modern audiences and continue to be frequently performed.

Frank McGuinness was born in Buncrana, Co Donegal. He has written extensively for the Irish theatre, both original scripts and translations. His awards include the London Evening Standard Award for most promising playwright for Observe the Sons of Ulster in 1985, and a Tony Award for his 1997 adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House. He has published several volumes of poetry and wrote the screenplay for Pat O'Connor's 1998 film version of Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa. He is a writer-in-residence at UCD. He lives in Dublin.

Vik received his MFA in Theatre Directing from Birkbeck, University of London and his PG Award in Teaching Shakespeare from The University of Warwick (in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company).

Vik has been associated with LAMDA since 2015 as a freelance director. In his current position, he directs and teaches across a range of LAMDA’s acting programmes. Public productions directed include RotterdamIn Arabia We’d All Be KingsWild HoneyPoshMacbeth and Romeo and Juliet. Professional directing credits include the UK premieres of The Ice Cream Boys by Gail Louw, There or Here by Jennifer Maisel, Home by Sam Art Williams and Half and Half- The Curry Musical by Tim Reilly. International directing credits include Much Ado About Nothing in NY and The Tempest at the Rio Olympics.

Contains themes of death, justice, marriage, moral dilemmas, politics and poverty.

Photos: SRTaylor Photography

Creative Team

* LAMDA staff member or visiting artist

Director
Vik Sivalingam*

Designer
Ruari Murchison*

Musical Director
Luke Byrne*

Voice Support
Jeremy Finch*

Lighting Designer
Fintan McGuigan

Sound Designer
Marie Zschommler

Fight Director
Sam Behan*

Costume Supervisor
Chrissy Maddison*

Cast

Young Worker, Armoured Rider, Innkeeper, Laverenti (brother), Landlord, Farmer 3, Soldier 1
Tyler Cameron

Expert, Nanny (Maro), Older Lady, Aniko, Lawyer 2
Kitty Castledine

Old Man (Aleko), Soldier (Simon), Simon Chacava, Ironman
Cameron dos Anjos

Tractor Woman, First Doctor, Peasant Woman, Singer, Soldiers, Old Woman, Lawyer 1
Naia Elliott-Spence

Old Man (L), Fat Prince, Soldier, Guests, Stable Lad, Other Soldier
Ibraheem Hussain

Soldier Kato Wachtang, Architect 1, Third Woman, Singer, Merchant Woman, First Woman, Soldier 3, Old Woman
Jazz Jenkins  

Singer, Armoured Rider, Corporal, Peasant, Refugee (Grand Duke), Prince's Nephew, Farmer 2
Oliver John

Grusha, Musicians, Young Woman
Lucy Karczewski

Musicians, Architect 2, House Servant, Azdak
Jacob Mechan

Girl Tractor Driver (L), Wife (Natella), Second Woman,
Mahaila Palmer

Musicians, Governor, First Man, Jessup, Shauva
Travis Phillips

Peasant Woman (L), Second Doctor, Cook, Younger Lady
Jade Dharma Roberts

Wounded Soldier (L), Adjutant, Second Man, Monk, Singer, Farmer 1
Kieton Saunders-Browne

Peasant Woman, Singer, Second Woman, Jessup's Mother, Soldier 2, Irakli (Bandit)
Annie Taylor

Old Peasant, Rider, Groom, Old Man, Peasant , Stableman, Soldier 1, Old Man
Moses Walsh

Production Team

Stage Manager
Jasmin Meara-Wall

Deputy Stage Manager
Natasha Shirley

Assistant Stage Manager
Peter Johnston
Elaine Redshaw

Production Manager
Jen Garland

Chief LX
James Imber

Deputy LX / Programmer
Jacob Eckardt

Production Sound Engineer
Ash Orhan-Pennell

Production Carpenter
Jorge Clarkson

Lighting Crew
Izzy Buchanan
Callum Duncan
George Rogers

Sound Assistants
Simon Fleming
Elisabetta Perrotta

Construction Crew
Helena Fitzgerald
Aidan Gibson
Anya Williams

Photos: SRTaylor Photography