Four people, the sole survivors of a shipwreck, crawl out of the sea. Two of them are masters, and two of them are servants; and all four are about to discover what life feels like when the boot is on the other foot.
The play will be staged at Theater am Käfigturm, Spitalgasse 4 in Bern on the following dates:
- Friday, 17.11.23 at 19:30
- Saturday, 18.11.23 at 19:30
- Sunday, 19.11.23 at 17:00
- Thursday, 23.11.23 at 19:30
- Friday, 24.11.23 at 19:30
- Saturday, 25.11.23 at 17:00
About the play
Marivaux’s potent mix of laughter, emotion and theatrical game-playing makes him one of the most surprising and most modern of all classic playwrights. Neil Bartlett has adapted this brilliant comedy of role-swapping and redemption, which premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith in April 2002.
Our approach
Marivaux’s play is an allegory about power and he has placed it in Ancient Greek times, with slaves and their former masters, to criticize the social order in France before the revolution. Like many French writers during that tormented period, Marivaux was very critical of how the aristocracy treated their staff and one way to deliver the message to his audience (mostly aristocratic themselves) was through comedy. Marivaux’s “slaves” are therefore to be understood more as servants or low-wage workers of the 18th century. Indeed we plan to transpose the story into modern times.
Introduction to the play, by the translator Neil Bartlett
Our century reads Marivaux with hindsight; his so-called ‘philosophical comedies’ seem to prefigure the radical experiments and inquiries that were to be acted out for real in Revolutionary French culture decades after they were written. Furthermore, they lay out agendas which we, as contemporary Europeans, are still exploring. Island of Slaves invites just such a reading; it could be crudely described as ‘being about’ the redistribution of power, ‘about’ egalitarianism, ‘about’ class. However, any attempt to explain away this strange, beautiful text by reducing it to an illustrated agenda would be to ignore what happens when you actually play it — or watch it. (…)
Watching it, we see what freedom looks and feels like; what rage feels like; how it feels to experience power or powerlessness for the first time, to discover the desire to hurt — and strangest of all, the impulse to forgive. The spectacle provokes the largest of questions: must injustice always breed injustice, cruelty always breed cruelty?; do forgiveness and sympathy change the world — or merely keep it the way it is?; but Marivaux provides no answers to them. He only insists that these questions must be addressed to the individual heart.
Impressions
Cast
| Iphicrates | Tim Segessemann |
| Cleanthis | Cristina Mosimann |
| Harlequin | Mathias Walker |
| Euphrosine | Carla Carlucci |
| Trivelin | Christian Egg |
Crew
| Director | Myriam Schleiss |
| Stage Manager | Eliane Baumann |
| Set Design and Set Dressing | Suzanne Seiler |
| Set Building | Magda Pawlowska |
| Props | Kusum Sägesser |
| Lights and Sound | Graham Goodwin |
| Costumes | Carla Carlucci |
| Hair and Make-up | Thais Christine Erb |
| Rehearsal Assistant | Thais Christine Erb |
| Prompting | Thais Christine Erb, Kusum Sägesser |
| Poster, Program | Tamar Richner |
| Transport | Sebastian Coleman |
| Social Media | Sebastian Coleman |
Authors
Pierre de Marivaux (born 1688) was a French playwright and novelist. He is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, writing numerous comedies for the Comédie-Française and the Comédie-Italienne of Paris. His most important works are Le Triomphe de l’amour, Le Jeu de l’amour et du hasard and Les Fausses Confidences.
Neil Bartlett, OBE, (born 1958) is a British director, performer, translator and writer. He was one of the founding members of Gloria, a production company established in 1988.
Venue
The attractive Theater with heart – in the heart of Berne, has, since its foundation, drawn many national and internationally known artistes to its stage. We are very much looking forward to performing there again.
Address
Theater am Käfigturm
Spitalgasse 4, 3011 Bern
The stop “Bärenplatz” is located directly in front of the theater and is served by lines 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12.
Impressions from other productions
Links
- L’Île des esclaves – Comédie-Française 2014
- Review – The Guardian
- Island of Slaves – A.R.T. 2006
- L’Île des esclaves Wikipedia article
- Paperback and E-book available on Bloomsbury
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