The latest play of world-renowned playwright Edward Bond will be premiered at the Manoel Theatre.
Staged by Unifaun Theatre Productions on the initiative of Adrian Buckle, The Price of One will be staged between April 8 and 10.
The 75-minute play will be directed by British director Chris Cooper, who has already had a stint of direction in Malta, working on Edward Bond’s Olly's Prison.
The cast will be entirely made up of Malcolm Galea, Magda Van Kuilenburg, Simone Spiteri and Andre Agius.
The play is about the crisis of modern times. We are in an age of wars and markets. But we are the social species and so it is also a species crisis. We destroy our habitat and we destroy ourselves and one another. So our relation to nature breaks down and so does our relation to “things”, the basic structures of reality which precede any living organic species.
Things for us become technology and this now furthers the market and destroys us in war. The play seeks to make a conspectus of this situation and to creatively take part in the process.
The religion of “love” creates the inquisition and witch-burning, which the inquisitor would see as a refined form of love – and beyond that a refined and absolute form of hate. The consequence is that people are always double.
It is as if Edward Bond had foreseen calamities such as Paris, Donald Trump and Islamic State. Is it true that our lives are ruled by capitalism and the market? Is it true that war is a result of allowing the market to control us?
“Initially we could not find sponsors to help us finance the project but Teatru Manoel stepped in and commissioned the new play on condition that it was premiered at the Manoel.”
Teatru Manoel’s CEO, Ray Attard said: “We see this as a great opportunity as Malta’s national theatre to be major protagonists in the creation of a new piece for theatre and especially one by such a renowned playwright.”
Kenneth Zammit Tabona, Teatru Manoel’s artistic director added: “This is very much in line with our artistic policy of expanding our production side and investing, either directly or indirectly, in dramatic works that we feel should be presented on our stage.”
Reservations can be made through www.teatrumanoel.com.mt or 2124 6389.