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Persona

Conceived by Adena Jacobs, Dayna Morrissey & Danny Pettingill
Director Adena Jacobs
Based on the film by Ingmar Bergman

  • Venue Upstairs Theatre
  • Dates 24 July – 18 Aug 2013

A Fraught Outfit production.

Adena Jacobs’ staging of Ingmar Bergman’s film packed out houses at Melbourne’s Theatre Works in 2012. It was one of the finest pieces of theatre in the country all year.

Elizabeth is an actress. One night, in the middle of Elektra, she falls silent. Nervous breakdown? Spiritual crisis? Illness? Attention seeking? No-one can say. She is sent to the seaside to recover. As Elizabeth’s silence continues, her nurse Alma begins to speak and Bergman’s signature themes kick into life: enigmatic acts of love and kindness, dangerous heights of obsession and need…

Persona pulls off a remarkable feat: it recreates the famous intimacy of the great Bergman’s finest film on a stage. This is a consummate theatrical close-up about our basic human need to be seen and known by another person.

Team

Conceived by Adena Jacobs, Dayna Morrissey & Danny Pettingill
Based on the film by Ingmar Bergman
Director Adena Jacobs
Translation Keith Bradfield
Production Designer Dayna Morrissey
Lighting Designer Danny Pettingill
Sound Designer Russell Goldsmith
Stage Manager Edwina Guinness
Assistant Stage Manager Katie Hankin

Persona is presented by arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd, on behalf of Josef Weinberger Ltd London. Translation provided by Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd. The Australian premiere of Persona was presented by Fraught Outfit in association with Theatre Works in 2012.

Cast

Sean Campbell
Brandon Easson
Meredith Penman

Daniel Schlusser
Karen Sibbing

Production images by Ellis Parrinder
Production 2012 production images by Pia Johnson

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