From the writer of One Man, Two Guvnors, comes a sprawling comic romp that follows four generations of a Yorkshire pig-farming family as they fight to protect their livelihood at the New Theatre from 9 October.
At the heart of the story is the life of William Harrison, beginning as a teenager eager for adventure in the trenches of the Somme during WWI and ending as a wise-cracking 109 year old whose candle shows no signs of snuffing out.
The Harrisons are battlers and survivors, and no amount of adversity – be it two world wars, the Depression, fatal shootings, armed robbery, attempted rape or commercial failure – can extinguish their intrinsic optimism and pragmatic outlook.
Richard Bean – the celebrated writer of One Man, Two Guvnors and The Heretic, has created a theatrical landscape of epic proportions and infused this family saga of life on the land with a wickedly quirky humour and a deep understanding of human nature.
New Theatre is proud to be presenting this Sydney premiere, directed by Artistic Director Louise Fischer (Enron, Vernon God Little, The Farnsworth Invention, The Crucible) who brings to this fabulous saga not only her inimitable style and sense of spectacle, but also her ability to wrangle a big cast!
“I have loved this work since I first read it ten years ago and can’t believe I’m finally able to direct it,” says Fischer. “It’s so wonderfully and richly textured, a deeply funny, ‘hit-you-in-the-guts’ look at life, raw and beautiful, at its best and worst. I think its humanity, humour and big storytelling has great appeal and will resonate with anyone who loves a ‘battler’.”
“Being blessed with an ensemble of actors that has embraced the play so enthusiastically, inhabiting this Yorkshire farm with an authenticity that cuts close to the bone, has made working on this production an absolute gift.”
Director: Louise Fischer Cast: Nick Bolton, Sarah Carroll, Alex Chalwell, Xavier Coy, Peter Eyers, John Keightley, Dave Kirkham, Annie Schofield, Isabella Tannock, Abi Rayment, Benjamin Vickers, Bishanyia Vincent, Steve Vincent, Jeremy Waters Assistant Director: Deborah Mulhall Set Designer: Bethany Sheehan Sound Designer: Alastair Wallace Lighting Designer: Tony Youlden Production Manager: Marc Larkin Stage Manager: Douglas Cairns
Harvest
New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown
Season: 7 October – 8 November 2014
Bookings: www.newtheatre.org.au
For more information, visit: www.newtheatre.org.au for details.
Image: by Bob Seary