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Adelaide Festival 2010Fringe 2010Fringe 2010

A Number - B Sharp

February 5th 2010 23:26
Frogbattleship in association with B Sharp present

A NUMBER
Preview 8 June.
Season 9 June – 3 July 2005

A NUMBER - Christopher Pitman


Written by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Lee Lewis
Design Alice Babidge Lighting Design Luiz Pampolha

With Ron Haddrick and Christopher Pitman


“A Number is the first true play of the 21st Century… an experiment in prediction,
a meditation upon identity, a sort of nightmare imagining of what the magic of cloning
may one day require of our hearts and minds.” The Evening Standard, UK

“We’ve got ninety-nine percent the same genes as any other person. We’ve got ninety percent the same genes as a chimpanzee. We’ve got thirty percent the same as a lettuce.” From A Number


On a routine visit to hospital, Bernard receives some shocking news: he’s been cloned. When he confronts his father, he finds out it’s worse: Bernard is just one of an unknown number of genetically identical sons. But is Bernard the original or a copy? Does it matter? And what will happen when the other Bernards come knocking at the door?

From celebrated English playwright Caryl Churchill (Cloud Nine, Far Away), A Number takes the ethical labyrinth of genetic engineering and the timeless debate over nature versus nurture, and reconstitutes them as an intimate family drama. A Number is a series of conversations between a man and his son(s). There are no speeches, no grand pronouncements, no finely honed philosophical dialogues. Instead, the play focuses on the conversations between two men, as one confronts his doubts and realisations, and the other his decisions of the past.

A Number probes issues of individuality and cloning, new spins on sibling rivalry, paternal guilt, and the degree to which each person is responsible for their actions. A Number looks fearlessly at what is left over when the excitement of a new science fades.

A Number is directed by Lee Lewis, who has directed plays at Darlinghurst Theatre, Old Fitzroy, Belvoir St Theatre and NIDA, including Half and Half (B Sharp 2004), and Drowned World (Darlinghurst 2005). A Number is the last play at Belvoir St Downstairs before the theatre undergoes much-needed renovations.

Producer: Geoff Sirmai, Watchdog Communications

A Number
Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre, 25 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills
Preview: Wednesday 8 June. Season: Thursday 9 June – Sunday 3 July
Times: Tuesday 7.00pm Wednesday–Saturday 8.15pm Sunday 5.15pm
Prices: Adult: $27 Concession/ Sharp Card Holders: $21 Groups: $23 Preview: $18
Cheap Tuesday: Pay what you can ($10 minimum)
Bookings: 02 9699 3444
/ www.belvoir.com.au

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