EVERYONE IS KING LEAR IN HIS OWN HOME

Dublin Theatre Festival, Smock Alley Theatre 28 September - 7 October 2012

It is at last beautiful and strangely disarming.

- Irish Theatre Magazine

KING LEAR: “No I will be the pattern of all patience, and I will say nothing.”

SAMUEL BECKETT: “Do not imagine, because I am silent that I am not present.”

Pan Pan return to Dublin Theatre Festival with a parable – or perhaps more properly, a cautionary tale – about memory. This is King Lear as never seen before: through the lens of one of Ireland’s most respected contemporary theatre companies.Using a cacophony of references, Pan Pan present a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s famous play of consequence and madness. Starring Andrew Bennett and Judith Roddy, father and daughter are trapped in an effort to express something true – nothing will come of nothing, after all.Following the phenomenal success of The Rehearsal, Playing the Dane (winner of Best Production and Best Set Design at the 2010 Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards), Pan Pan turn their attention to another Shakespeare play, once again reinvigorating a familiar text and offering an original testament to the endless possibilities of theatre and the ineradicable presence of Shakespeare in our lives.

Click here for Ros Kavanagh’s Photo-Essay “Andrew Bennett’s Flat”.

“For anyone who loves King Lear, now considered one of Shakespeare’s most prodigious works, this adaptation will greatly delight. Likewise, anyone with an interest in the more modern, existentialist style of theatre such as Beckett should also catch this play, as it weaves elements of various plays and styles together in a seamless manner.”

Entertainment.ie

“The production purposely defies easy definition by jettisoning traditional narrative and psychological realism…it is at last beautiful and strangely disarming.”

Irish Theatre Magazine

“The production deserves great credit for portraying the awfulness of life…very moving along with some moments of absurd comedy…excellent controlled and intense performances.” 

Edel Coffey, Arena RTE Radio 1

 “The most effective scenes in Everybody is King Lear In His Own Home are those where the actors play it straight: the rupture of their relationship – rendered here in the penultimate scene – is genuinely moving…. elicit empathy and pathos, as well as a cold admiration for the company’s intellectual rigor.”

Sarah Keating, The Irish Times

“Holding their own against The Wooster Group, Irish company Pan Pan also use Shakespeare to mount an esoteric, enjoyably intractable work. Everyone is King Lear in his Own Home defies summary.”

The Irish Examiner

“This is Pan Pan’s brave, intense take on King Lear. The cacophony comes together due to the singular vision of the director (Gavin Quinn) and two mesmerizing performances (Andrew Bennett and Judith Roddy).”

Le Cool

“It’s frightening, it doesn’t have a lot to do with following a narrative, and it’s vitally theatrical.  It reminds us what theatre is, using the classics as its raw material without either discarding them or turning them into museum pieces.  If nothing else, this makes Pan Pan a necessary part of Irish theatre culture today.”

Prof. Chris Morash, NUI Maynooth English Dept. Blog

Directed by Gavin Quinn

Designed by Aedín Cosgrove

Cast: Andrew Bennett and Judith Roddy