How Far Can Human Empathy Stretch in the Wake of Evil?

How Far Can Human Empathy Stretch in the Wake of Evil?

Silo Theatre presents
THE EVENTS

Written by David Greig / Directed by Sophie Roberts

Starring Tandi Wright and Beulah Koale with 22 choirs from around Auckland

Silo Theatre’s third offering for 2015 is a remarkable piece of contemporary theatre that has polarised audiences around the world. Grappling with the unfathomable, acclaimed Scottish playwright David Greiginvestigates the impact of a mass shooting in a fictional, unnamed village. The multi-award winning The Events will have its Australasian premiere with Silo at Auckland’s Q Theatre from September 3 – 26.

In the fallout of one horrific act, Claire, a young priest and choir leader, is forced to question the nature of evil and battle with the idea of forgiveness. It’s a journey that will take her to the edge of reason, science, politics and faith.

Born out of a deeply troubled and bewildered response to the Anders Breivik attacks in Norway, Greig found there was no shortage of tragic events to draw on, including the murder of Lee Rigby and the 7/7 suicide bombings of 2005. Speaking with the Evening Times about the work, David Greig said, "These things happen a lot and I find myself reading page after page of newspapers, all saying this is because of Islamic fundamentalism or this was because of male violence or American imperialism or gun control, and I found myself feeling this deep unsatisfaction that I couldn't get to the bottom of it. I wanted to investigate that and when I have that question I usually write a play."

Returning to the stage after Silo’s 2010 watershed production of When the Rain Stops falling, acting heavyweight Tandi Wright (The Returned, Nothing Trivial, This is Not My Life) will play Claire - a challenging role that requires the kind of skill, finesse and power limited to actors of her calibre. Silo newcomer Beulah Koale (The Last Saint, Black Faggot, Shortland Street) will play both the young gunman and a raft of other roles including girlfriend, psychiatrist and journalist.

Joining the actors on stage every night will be a different choir from the Auckland region, from North Shore hobbyists to church choirs, the professional Jubilation Gospel Choir to The NZ Young@Heart Chorus. Incorporating these choirs provides a kind of Greek chorus to the action on stage, whilst heightening a major theme in the play, that of community. Each choir experiences the play for the first time along with the audience on their performance night, reacting openly and without pretense to the actions unfolding on stage – a reflection of the audience themselves and the community at large. The choirs learn a set repertoire of music for the show that ranges in style from classical to popular music, elevating the storytelling with a powerful and evocative musical score.

Silo Artistic Director Sophie Roberts was drawn to The Events for its ability to ask big questions in a unique way. “Greig has written a work that explores the construct of community and the demands we place on it. While it’s about a very current issue on a global scale, it’s also a profound study of personal grief and how that can lead us to obsessively search for meaning.” says Roberts.

David Greig has been described as “one of the most interesting and adventurous British dramatists of his generation” (Daily Telegraph) and “one of the most intellectually stimulating dramatists around” (The Guardian). His previously staged work in New Zealand, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Heart (Auckland Arts Festival, 2013) andMidsummer (Silo Theatre, 2013) were both enthusiastically received by critics and audiences. The Events premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013, where it sold out, received a Fringe First and the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award and was named The Guardian’s best show of 2013.

The Events is at the cutting edge of contemporary performance and promises audiences a theatrical experience like no other.

THE EVENTS: 3 – 26 September at Rangatira at Q Theatre
For more information and bookings, visit silotheatre.co.nz

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