Robert Icke

First, do no harm. How do we defend the "truth" when no one agrees what it is and many have reason to undermine it? Very freely adapting Professor Bernhardi by Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Icke's gripping moral thriller uses the lens of medical ethics to examine urgent questions of faith, belief, and scientific rationality. After a critically acclaimed run at London's Almeida Theatre, The Doctor transferred to the West End in September 2022. This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the new production.

The Doctor

Aeschylus

Orestes’ parents are at war. A family drama spanning several decades, a huge, moving, bloody saga, Aeschylus’ greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done — and continues to resonate more than two millennia after it was written.

This new adaptation of Oresteia was first performed at the Almeida in Summer 2015, marking the first major London production of Oresteia in over a decade.

Oresteia

Henrik Ibsen

A new version of The Wild Duck, Ibsen's masterpiece about the nature of truth, in which a stranger intervenes to reveal the lies in the past of a family, with tragic consequences. In Icke's version the scenery and costumes grow gradually more naturalistic as the play progresses, and the characters break off from their lines to comment on the action and on Ibsen's life. A re-assessing of The Wild Duck: verb. to duck 1. a quick lowering of the head (to avoid a blow or so as not to be seen) 2. depart quickly 3. avoid noun. wild duck (more commonly known as mallard duck or anas platyrhynchos) – an undomesticated duck. note. Due to its beautiful feathers, the mallard duck is one of the most popular ducks for hunters. When injured or threatened, ducks have been alleged to commit suicide, by diving to the bottom of the water, never returning to the surface. This version of The Wild Duck was produced at The Almeida Theatre, London, and a review in The Stage remarked: "Icke has a way of pinking the cheeks of canonical plays and making them breathe"

The Wild Duck

Robert Icke's thrilling and radical adaptations of some of the great texts of Western theatre have enthralled theatregoers in London, in New York and around the world. This is the first collection of his multi-awardwinning work. Includes: Oresteia: Orestes' parents are at war. A family drama spanning several decades, a huge, moving, bloody saga, Aeschylus' greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done - and continues to resonate more than two millennia after it was written. Uncle Vanya: Chekhov's late masterpiece examines human behaviour in all of its beautiful, terrible, laughable contradiction. Mary Stuart: Schiller's political tragedy takes us behind the scenes of British history's famous rivalry between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. The Wild Duck: A new version of Ibsen's masterpiece about the nature of truth, in which a stranger intervenes to reveal the lies in the past of a family, with tragic consequences. The Doctor: Very freely adapting Professor Bernhardi by Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Icke has written a gripping moral thriller that uses the lens of medical ethics to examine urgent questions of faith, belief, and scientific rationality.

Oresteia; Uncle Vanya; Mary Stuart; The Wild Duck; The Doctor

Robert Icke: Works One

Anton Chekhov

Chekhov's late masterpiece examines human behaviour in all of its beautiful, terrible, laughable contradiction. Following his reimagining of Oresteia (Almeida / West End), Almeida Associate Director Robert Icke directs a new production of Chekhov's greatest play. Things your life could be: (1) a farce. (2) a tragedy. (3) pointless. (4) all of the above. Things you could do about it: (1) keep living. (2) stop living. (3) stop someone else living. (4) nothing. Even so, what has your life been worth?

Scenes from Country Life

Uncle Vanya

Robert Icke's thrilling and radical adaptations of some of the great texts of Western theatre have enthralled theatregoers in London, in New York and around the world. This is the first collection of his multi-award-winning work. Includes: Oresteia: Orestes' parents are at war. A family drama spanning several decades, a huge, moving, bloody saga, Aeschylus' greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done - and continues to resonate more than two millennia after it was written. Uncle Vanya: Chekhov's late masterpiece examines human behaviour in all of its beautiful, terrible, laughable contradiction. Mary Stuart: Schiller's political tragedy takes us behind the scenes of British history's famous rivalry between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. The Wild Duck: A new version of Ibsen's masterpiece about the nature of truth, in which a stranger intervenes to reveal the lies in the past of a family, with tragic consequences. The Doctor: Very freely adapting Professor Bernhardi by Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Icke has written a gripping moral thriller that uses the lens of medical ethics to examine urgent questions of faith, belief, and scientific rationality.

George Orwell

Duncan Macmillan

Winston Smith, living under the totalitarian rule of the Party, has the idea of writing a diary. It is a crime punishable by death and there is no way of knowing if he is being watched. He imagines two futures—in one, a future readership in a free society think of him as a hero; in the other he is caught, executed and forgotten. Perhaps both things are true. That day, during the obligatory “Two Minutes Hate,” he wondered who else might be harbouring thoughts of rebellion, and who may be working for the Thought Police. Winston starts the diary. He writes the year, so far as he knows it: 1984. This multi-award winning adaptation of George Orwell’s ultimate dystopian novel continues to resonate throughout the world.

1984

Very freely adapting Professor Bernhardi by Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Icke has written a gripping moral thriller that uses the lens of medical ethics to examine urgent questions of faith, belief, and scientific rationality. How do we defend the "truth" when no one agrees what it is and many have reason to undermine it?

Robert Icke's thrilling and radical adaptations of some of the great texts of Western theatre have enthralled theatregoers in London, in New York and around the world. This is the first collection of his multi-awardwinning work. Includes: The Wild Duck, Uncle Vanya, Oresteia, Mary Stuart, and The Doctor.

Robert Icke

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