We’re delighted to announce the cast for our Studio production of Hello and Goodbye, directed by our very own Associate Artist John R. Wilkinson.
In the cast are Emilio Iannucci and Jo Mousley. Emilio was last seen at York Theatre Royal in Book of Dragons and spent the summer playing Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre at Blenheim. Jo, who is making her York Theatre Royal debut, has just completed a year in the Pop-Up Theatre Ensemble at Leeds Playhouse where roles included Gertrude in Hamlet.
This marks the return of in-house productions to the Studio. John R. Wilkinson says: “It is with greatest degree of pride, and spirit, that we announce the return of in-house productions to our Studio.
“The blue magic of that space has always given rise to intense, intimate storytelling and I recall a raft of titles including Blackbird, Blue/Orange and The White Crow from the early 2010s which really inspired a generation of artists, including myself. Six years on from Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down, the prospect of directing another piece of work in such a defining, dynamic space fills me with tonnes of joy.”
Tony Award-winning writer Athol Fugard’s biting yet beautiful parable Hello and Goodbye is a tense meditation on family, selfishness and redemption.
This is 57A Valley Road, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Johnnie is being visited by his sister Hester after a very long absence. Yes, says Johnnie, he and Dad have been getting along well enough but no, she can’t talk to him because he’s asleep in the next room.
Hester has really come home because she believes Dad has secreted 500 Pounds somewhere in the house, and she wants to make a deal with her brother – he can keep the house as his part of the heritage, if he’ll let her find and keep the money.
Their memories work back and forth, and the brother tries to keep passions down so that father will not be awakened. But in the end the terrible truths of this family drama develop into an image of the disastrous plight of the entire nation of South Africa.
Hello and Goodbye was first performed in 1965 in Johannesburg with Athol Fugard in one of the roles.
Fugard’s best-known work deals with the political and social upheaval of the apartheid system in South Africa. He was educated at the University of Cape Town. His plays include The Captain’s Tiger, Valley Song, My Children! My Africa, A Lesson from Aloes, The Island, and the award-winning Sizwe Banzi is Dead. He has received six honorary degrees from esteemed colleges and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
John R. Wilkinson, who won the Genesis Future Director Award 2018 (Young Vic), says: “Despite international acclaim, Athol Fugard first-and-foremost describes himself as a regional playwright. This, coupled with the fact that his work bridges themes both local and international, makes this a really challenging story for our artistic community to bear witness to.
“On a personal level I am interested in exploring the relationship between siblings caring for a disabled relative and cannot wait to start work with an amazing team, all of whom I admire and trust. It is my hope that Hello and Goodbye will prove stimulating, gothic, a little bit surprising and a cracking night out.”
Hello and Goodbye runs in our Studio from 14 to 30 November 2019.
