Peter Brook’s 11 and 12
Sydney Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company presents a Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord production
Presented by arrangement with Arts Projects Australia
Co-produced by barbicanbite10, London; C.I.C.T. / Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord; Grotowski Institute, Wroclaw and presented in association with William Wilkinson for Millbrook Productions
11 and 12
adapted from the work of Amadou Hampaté Bâ
by Marie Hélène Estienne
Peter Brook is widely regarded as the greatest theatre director of his time and his pioneering work at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris is the stuff of legend. His landmark production of The Mahabharata remains one of the greatest theatre works ever presented in Australia.
In his last production as director of the Bouffes du Nord, he has brought together a brilliant company of actors from around the globe to explore an extraordinary conflict in West Africa under French occupation, based on the true story of Sufi mystic Tierno Bokar. Written by Amadou Hampaté Bâ about his real life teacher, it shows how a dispute over whether a certain prayer should be recited 11 or 12 times leads inexorably to hatred and massacres. The question of violence and the true place of tolerance make this epic story more than ever relevant today.
Performed by Antonio Gil Martinez, Makram J. Khoury, Tunji Lucas, Jared McNeill, Khalifa Natour, Abdou Ouologuem, Maximilien Seweryn; Directed by Peter Brook; Music by Toshi Tsuchitori; Lighting Design by Philippe Vialatte and Costume Design by Hélène Patarot.
Thursday to Sunday 13 June. Opens Friday 4 June at 8pm, Sydney Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. Tickets: $40–$90.
Sydney Theatre Box Office: (02) 9250 1999 or sydneytheatre.org.au
Media Enquiries
Emma Collison Publicity, 02 9362 9700, 0418 584 795, emma@emmacollison.com
Brook at his best… a piece of calm, quiet, meditative theatre that never hectors or raises its voice, but that addresses profound spiritual and political issues. The Guardian
Style, for some people, is a complex way of saying simple things. For Peter Brook, it has latterly been a simple way of saying complex things. And in this resonant African fable, adapted by Marie-Hélène Estienne from the work of Amadou Hampâté Bâ and here played in English, you see Brook at his best. This is a piece of calm, quiet, meditative theatre that never hectors or raises its voice, but that addresses profound spiritual and political issues… What I admired most was the simple beauty of Brook’s staging… What you see on stage is a distillation of a particular world, accomplished by pure craftsmanship. Michael Billington