Forced Entertainment
THE NOTEBOOK
“Galvanising, and a reminder of the wide vocabulary of a company that is 30 this year and still at the top of its game!” The Guardian
THE NOTEBOOK is a sweeping parable about lost childhood in the face of war. Based on Hungarian writer Ágota Kristóf’s multiple-award-winning novel of the same name, Forced Entertainment’s piece tells the story of two boys during World War II who are evacuated and brought to their impoverished grandmother’s place in the countryside. In a devastated Europe full of cruelty and opportunism, the two nameless twin brothers – themselves strange and dysfunctional outsiders of society – struggle for moral integrity by laying upon themselves a rigid code of conduct. Directed by Tim Etchells, the author’s courageous, minimalistic language is the basis for a thrilling performance between gloomy world-war squalor and subversive humour, in which the two protagonists Robin Arthur and Richard Lowdon relate their story – an uncanny pair of characters caught in a single voice. The group Forced Entertainment was established in 1984 and is world-famous for its ground-breaking role in the theatre and performance scene. Forced Entertainment were guests at brut several times, most recently in 2012 with their piece Tomorrow’s Parties. www.forcedentertainment.com
Idea and realisation Forced Entertainment (Robin Arthur, Tim Etchells, Richard Lowdon, Claire Marshall, Cathy Naden, Terry O’Connor) Performers Robin Arthur, Richard Lowdon Director Tim Etchells Design Richard Lowdon Light Jim Harrison Production Jim Harrison
THE NOTEBOOK is a Forced Entertainment production. In co-production with PACT Zollverein Essen, LIFT London, 14–18 NOW, WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, Kaaitheater Brussels, Teatro Maria Matos Lisbon and Malta Festival Poznań.
With the kind support of National Lottery by means of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England. THE NOTEBOOK is presented as part of the project House on Fire supported by the Cultural Programme of the European Union. Devised with the kind support of the Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts (LICA).
THE NOTEBOOK is based on Le grand cahier by Ágota Kristóf, Éditions du Seuil, Paris 1986. English translation © (1988) by Alan Sheridan.
Forced Entertainment - THE NOTEBOOK (Trailer) from brut Wien on Vimeo.
Secret Ingredients
31 January, 12 pm | brut im Künstlerhaus/Bar
English Breakfast (Discussion & breakfast)
On Sunday, preceding their final performance at brut, Forced Entertainment invite the audience to a classic English Breakfast at the venue. Over baked beans, sausages and breakfast eggs, the company will talk about their work and some projects they would have loved to realise but couldn’t because they were deemed too expensive, too big, too abstract, too scary, too weird or too childish. Prepare to be served exciting insights into Forced Entertainment’s cosmos of ideas – and top-notch breakfast. Admission free!
Please send an e-mail to tickets@brut-wien.at up until 29 January to reserve your tickets.
English Breakfast is part of the series Secret Ingredients: In its last season before the new artistic team takes over, brut launches the one-year series in addition to co-productions and guest performances. Local and international artists who have continuously collaborated with brut during the past years give insight into their artistic work process and methods. More Information
€ 14,- full price
€ 8,- reduced
€ 6,- with the brutkarte*