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British director Peter Brook brings to life this epic tale of an Africa shaken by colonialism and torn apart by internal strife. Based on an extraordinary true story, 11 and 12 begins with a disagreement about the hidden meaning of two numbers, and leads to a tragic chain of events that ultimately link a tiny African village to the highest political decisions of the Second World War.
This moving theatre adaptation centres on a humble, yet remarkable, small town Sufi teacher caught up in an immense struggle against the hatred and violence, which threaten to destroy him. This moving portrayal of the fears that breed prejudice, and the courage found in tolerance, resonate as deeply today as when the events took place.
Festival 2010 marks the long-awaited arrival of a Peter Brook theatre production on New Zealand shores. One of the world's finest directors and innovators of stage and screen, Brook's theatre debut in 1943 ignited a phenomenal global career. Brook's work as a film director has received worldwide critical acclaim and boasts such notable titles as Lord of the Flies, Marat/Sade, and King Lear.
11 and 12 brings together a multicultural cast of actors from Palestine, Africa and Europe, and promises to be a landmark event in New Zealand theatre history.
Adapted from the work of Amadou Hampaté Bâ by Marie-Hélène Estienne
Directed by Peter Brook
Music by Toshi Tsuchitori
Lighting design Philippe Vialatte
Costumes Hélène Patarot
With Antonio Gil Martinez
Makram J. Khoury
Tunji Lucas
Jared McNeill
Khalifa Natour
Abdou Ouologuem
Maximilien Seweryn
Consultant technical manager Simon Bourne
Company manager Arthur Franc
Co-commissioned by:
C.I.C.T. / Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris
barbicanbite10, London
Grotowski Institute, Wroclaw
Presented in association with William Wilkinson for Millbrook Productions Limited
Presented by New Zealand International Festival of the Arts by arrangement with Arts Projects Australia
Image:Pascal Victor/ArtComArt
More Info
- Eleven and Twelve: Art Talk
- Article: Review: 11 and 12
- Article: Review: 11 and 12
- Article: Ilija Trojanow reviews Peter Brook's 11 and 12
- Article: Review: 11 and 12
- Article: Review: 11 and 12
- Article: Review: 11 and 12
- Article: Review: 11 and 12
- Article: Review: 11 and 12
- Article: Review: 11 and 12
- Article: Master of mysticism: Why spirituality plays a crucial role in Peter Brook's work
- Article: The prayers of Peter Brook
- Article: Iconoclastic Director Debuts His Latest Play in New Zealand
Review
www.nzherald.co.nz Mar 12, 2010
11 and 12 travels to New Zealand carrying a lot of cultural baggage. Ironic given that over forty years ago director Peter Brook arguably revolutionised the British stage with the concept of the empty space.
Theatreview Mar 12, 2010
Way back in the 1970s I was lucky enough to see two landmark productions directed by Peter Brook: his black box 'circus' version of A Midsummer Night's Dream for the RSC, with Alan Howard's Oberon on a trapeze, and The Conference of the Birds, based on an ancient Persian poem and developed during his fabled African sojourn (with a young Helen Mirren included in the multi-cultural ensemble cast).
The Dominion Post Mar 11, 2010
Since the 1960s, Peter Brook has benn searching for the essence of theatrical performance. His fervid dedication of almost monastic serverity has led him to question centuries of accumulated theatrical practices, beliefs and shibboleths.
The British Theatre Guide Feb 15, 2010
Adapted from the works of Amadou Hampaté Bâ by Marie-Hélène Estienne and Peter Brook Co-commissioned by barbicanbite10, London; C.I.C.T. / Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris; Grotowski Institute, Wroclaw Barbican Theatre and touring
The Independent Feb 15, 2010
Tierno Bokar is a sage with a difference. Instead of remaining smiling and nodding under his tree in an African village, he steps into a religious war
The Wall Street Journal Feb 12, 2010
A Play on Tolerance and Reason- Nearly 85, Director Peter Brook Continues to Explore Spiritual Themes Within a Multicultural Context
The Times Feb 12, 2010
Whatever you say against the latest piece that Peter Brook has brought from his Paris headquarters to the Barbican - and, with a cast of seven changing roles as they enact a complex tale, narrative clarity isn't its strongest point - it displays many of his great qualities. It is simply staged, on and around the sort of large carpet that Brook has made his trademark.
guardian.co.uk Feb 11, 2010
Style, for some people, is a complex way of saying simple things. For Peter Brook, it has latterly been a simple way of saying complex things. And in this resonant African fable, adapted by Marie-Hélène Estienne from the work of Amadou Hampâté Bâ and here played in English, you see Brook at his best. This is a piece of calm, quiet, meditative theatre that never hectors or raises its voice, but that addresses profound spiritual and political issues.
