Bedlam - Find out how a place begat a word

MEDIA RELEASE
12 August 2009

Find out how a place begat a word

Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School,
Victoria University of Wellington
and The PlayGround Collective present

Bedlam
By Eli Kent
1 – 5 September 2009

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It’s the Enlightenment. The cusp of the age of reason. Britannia is stuck in the mud. The King is losing his head. Bethlehem mental hospital is rife with corruption and immorality.

Enter, stage left, idealistic doctor Thomas Baxter. Together with his mentor Doctor Battie, he aims to clean up the infamous asylum. The god-like Brainless brothers, Mania and Melancholia, together with an ensemble of performers and musicians take the audience on a journey through the mythical world of Bedlam, London’s notorious insane asylum. Find out how a place begat a word.

The original score is being developed by musicians Erika Grant (Rubbings from a Live Man, Songs from Hollow Hill) and Isaac Smith (Indian Ink, Stephen Bain’s The Trial). This musical folktale by Eli Kent (Chapman Tripp Award Winner for Outstanding New Playwright 2008) reflects the chaos of today and seeks to question our different options for responding to our own diseased world.

Bedlam is being developed as a Toi Whakaari pitch project, an initiative which gives students a chance to work together to create their own work. Director Robin Kerr says, “We’re incredibly excited for our company to collaborate with six graduating actors, as well as four designers”. His company, The PlayGround Collective recently won “Best Theatre” in the NZ Fringe Awards for Eli’s third play The Intricate Art of Actually Caring and have since toured that work to the Christchurch Arts Festival.

Bedlam
Part of the Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School 2009 Production Season
Written by Eli Kent
Directed by Robin Kerr as part of the Masters of Theatre Arts (Directing)
Produced by Eleanor Bishop
Music by Erika Grant, Isaac Smith and Amanda Maclean

Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 September 2009 at 7pm
Basement Theatre, Te Whaea: National Dance and Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Road, Newtown, Wellington
Price: $15 / $12 Bookings: www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz or for info phone 04 381 9253

ENDS

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