A suspenseful drama of redemption and a thrilling detective story of the soul, The Street Theatre brings one of the greatest crime novels ever written to the stage in the Australian premiere season of Crime and Punishment adapted by Marilyn Campbell-Lowe and Curt Columbus from 22 June 2024.
A richly dark, elegant adaptation compresses all the tension and pathos into a powerful 90 minutes of theatre that is at once fresh and faithful to the 500-page+ Russian literary masterpiece by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Accolades for best adaptation include Chicago Joseph Jefferson and L.A. Backstage Garland Awards.
Since 1866, Crime and Punishment has been adapted for stage, film and television and its themes continue to have resonance today.
“The forces that disconnect humans from each other, the act of killing for an idea or principle, political violence domestically and globally all make Crime and Punishment a potent work to put on our stage now,” said The Street’s Artistic Director, Caroline Stacey OAM.
“A why-dunnit, not who-dunnit taking us right into the mind of a murderer, into the torture of guilt and secrets left unsaid, and into the redemptive power of suffering as a path to having a life again.”
Crime and Punishment is told by three actors playing Raskolnikov (impoverished student who commits murder), Porfiry Petrovitch (the wily detective), Sonia (the saintly streetwalker) and many other characters from the novel.
Raskolnikov considers himself above the law – entitled to such an extent that he may decide who is worthy of life and of death. But that all ends when he meets his match in Inspector Porfiry, a master of mind games who is determined to elicit a confession from the ever-more-tortured Raskolnikov.
Directed by Caroline Stacey, an outstanding ensemble take on complex characters in demanding roles and Dostoyevsky’s idea of the extraordinary man, featuring two Canberra award-winning actors, Christopher Samuel Carroll (Art, Metamorphosis) as Raskolnikov; PJ Williams (Twenty Minutes with the Devil, Diary of a Madman) as Inspector Porfiry; and, introduces Josephine Gazard (That’s What She Said) as Sonia.
From rationalization to remorse to redemption, Crime and Punishment is riveting and not easily forgotten. Don’t miss this powerful classic and contemporary drama from Canberra’s nationally recognised theatre company.
“The temperature of this lean-yet-muscular adaptation is scorching!” – Seattle Times
Director: Caroline Stacey | Featuring: Christopher Samuel Carroll, Josephine Gazard, PJ Williams | Designer: Kathleen Kershaw | Lighting Designer: Darren Hawkins | Sound Designer: Kimmo Vennonen | Adaptation: Marilyn Campbell-Lowe, Curt Columbus
Crime and Punishment
The Street Theatre, 15 Childers Street, Canberra City West
Season: 22 June – 7 July 2024 (preview: 21 June)
Information and Bookings: www.thestreet.org.au
Image: Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment – courtesy of The Street Theatre