Attempts on Her Life by Martin Crimp
Theatre Junction, Calgary
Directed by Mark Lawes
Feb 15-25, 2012
+16 FOR MATURE CONTENT, THEMES & NUDITY
Buy Tickets NowDescribed as ‘17 scenarios for the theatre,’ Attempts on Her Life is British playwright Martin Crimp’s masterpiece for a post–radical,post–human world in which the radical gesture is simply one more form of entertainment, one more product to be consumed. In an exploration of identity, a company of anonymous performers attempt to conceive the life of an absent central character known only as “Anne, Anna, Anushka …” – is she a terrorist, a physicist, an artist, a porn star, or a luxury sports car? The performers are spin–doctors of her life reflecting fragments of our modern day obsessions and cruelties, as they attempt to invent the illusive Anne.
Attempts on Her Life evokes a society in which life is lived through a lens and every action is filtered by the media, turning the audience into voyeurs of a satire on voyeurism.
…one of the high points of experimental theatre, of any theatre, written in the last quarter-century.
Culture Wars, London
A playwright as mysterious as his plays, Martin Crimp’s body of work has had a profound influence on the European contemporary theatre scene and has been compared to writers like Beckett, Pinter and Mamet —yet, until recently, he has remained relatively unknown in North America. His seminal work Attempts on Her Life is one of the most influential contemporary plays of our time and will receive its first professional Canadian production at Theatre Junction. Theatre Junction previously co-presented Martin Crimp’s The Country with Crow’s Theatre (Toronto) as part of the 2009/10 season. In Attempts on Her Life Theatre Junction re–visits the world of Crimp, where identity, power and perception are shifting illusions.
…THE outstanding playwright of his generation.
The Independent, UK
We decided at the last minute to go to the premiere, and we’re glad we did. The best play I have seen in Calgary in the last few years. Fantastic acting, fantastic production. This is not only a good piece of theatre, it is also a very entertaining show.
Don’t be scared away by the labels “experimental”, “contemporary”, etc. This is very accessible theatre. Sure, it will challenge you and make you think, but it will do so while keeping you emotionally engaged.
Glad you enjoyed it so much, thanks for coming! We hope to see you around more often