We are thrilled to announce that No Drama Theatre’s Winter Production for 2024 is…
“Collaborators,” an award winning play written by John Hodge (Trainspotting).
It will be directed by the magnificent Malcolm Bolton! (Headshot by @ruthcalderpots)
The show will run from Tuesday 21st January to Saturday 25th January 2025, in Smock Alley Theatre, Boys School.
“It’s man vs. monster, Mikhail. And the monster always wins…”
Moscow, 1938. A dangerous place to have a sense of humour; even more so a sense of freedom. Mikhail Bulgakov, living among dissidents, stalked by secret police, has both.
And then he’s offered a poisoned chalice: a commission to write a play about Stalin to celebrate his sixtieth birthday.
Inspired by historical facts, Collaborators embarks on a surreal journey into the fevered imagination of the writer as he loses himself in a macabre and disturbingly funny relationship with the omnipotent subject of his drama.
It depicts a lethal game of cat and mouse through which the appalling compromises and humiliations on any artist by those in power are held up to scrutiny.
A note from our director :
‘Collaborators’ is one of the sharpest plays I’ve ever read. I was ready to take a long break from theatre following my time as Chair, when the tale of Bulgakov pulled me right back in. (I mean, how many plays can you say start with a dictator threatening to smash a struggling writers head in with a typewriter, while ultimately ending in a poignant reflection on free will and mortality?)
It lives in a world of “Satirical Fantasia,” which leaves us with a lot to play around with as a group, and its sizeable cast will allow a large number of No Drama members to get involved, while also focusing intimately on the relationship between Bulgakov and Stalin. There are no small parts. Each character has weight, gravitas and importance.
I can’t wait to get back in the director’s seat again, and would like to give thanks to the committee and to the members of No Drama for all the opportunities they have given me over the years.
