SCORCHED

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: A Dialogue and Old Vic

The UK Premiere of
Scorched
By Wajdi Mouawad
Presented in The Old Vic Tunnels, Station Approach, London SE1

Following the death of their mother, twins Simon (Richard Simons) and Janine (Sirine Saba) are called to the family solicitor, Henry Bell (Patrick Driver) for the reading of her will.

They are shocked to find that their father is still alive, that they have a brother they knew nothing of, and that their legacy is to deliver letters to them both. This takes them on an emotional journey into the past, back to their mother's previous life and her Middle Eastern homeland - a country caught up in civil war.

Wajdi Mouawad is currently the Artistic Director of French theatre at Canada’s National Theatre and is the author of over fifteen plays including Littoral, Forêts and Wedding Day at The Cro-Magnons. Mouawad also co-wrote the screenplay and directed the film version of Littoral, after winning the ‘Govenor General’s Literary Award’ for the play. Numerous other awards include the ‘Grand Prix de la Francophonie’ and the ‘Grand Prix du Theatre’. Mouawad was the associate artist at the 2009 Avignon Festival and his work is currently the most performed in the category of contemporary French writing. His plays have been translated into more than fifteen languages and performed internationally.

Mouawad was born in Lebanon in 1968 and fled the country with his family when civil war broke out. (Before he left he witnessed an attack on a bus which he recreates in Scorched). His family lived in Paris for a few years before settling in Montreal, Canada.

Patricia Benecke is joint artistic director of Dialogue Productions for which directing work includes Wedding Day at The Cro-Magnons (Soho Theatre), The Furies/Helter Skelter/Land of the Dead, Monsieur Ibrahim and The Flowers of the Qu’ran. Upcoming productions are The Wonderful World of Dissocia and August: Osage County.

Dialogue Productions is a London based company dedicated to bringing international productions to the UK and founded by German director Patricia Benecke and British actor/producer Patrick Driver.

"A distinctive new company building a reputation for the best international premieres". Josie Rourke, The Bush Theatre

Full Cast:
Patrick Driver
Stephen Finegold
Caroline Loncq
Christopher Patrick Nolan
Miranda Pleasence
Sirine Saba
Richard Simons
Jennie Stoller

Director: Patricia Benecke
Designer: Naomi Dawson
Lighting: Chahine Yavroyan
Composer: Nikola Kodjabashia
Translator: Simon Scardifield

Scorched is generously funded by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations and Badf Jafar. The foundations are committed to innovation, social impact and education and have shown sustained support for the work of Dialogue Productions. The production is also supported by Meridian/Interact, The Brook Trust and Awards
for All.

About The Old Vic Tunnels:

In February 2010, The Old Vic acquired this new performance space beneath Waterloo Station from BRB (Residuary) formerly British Rail. This unique venue showcases productions, performances and installations and will continue to be home to a series of innovative and surprising arts events.

This year The Old Vic Tunnels opened with The Lambeth Palace, an underground cinema built to screen the UK premier of Banksy's film E'xit through the Gift Shop, followed by the first major theatre production in the space -
Ditch, by Beth Steel, a collaboration with High Tide.

The first music concert in the venue will feature Villagers' who have just received a Mercury nomination for their album Doubt. The government backed scheme ' V inspired' awarded a match-fund grant to The Old Vic Tunnels which allows the site to operate a generous volunteer opportunity network of production internships, front of house volunteers and site management trainees.

Scorched
The Old Vic Tunnels, Station Approach, London, SE1
Monday 6th September - Saturday 2nd October
Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm
Thursday and Saturday Matinee at 2.30pm

For further information about The Old Vic and The Old Vic Tunnels please visit www.oldvictheatre.com