What can we expect from new play Dora Versus Picasso when it premieres at London’s Drayton Arms Theatre next week? Take a look at these new rehearsal images for a hint, then book your tickets.
The drama, adapted from the novel by Cecil Jenkins and staged by Fractured Time Productions, runs at the Kensington venue from 26 to 30 November 2019.
1935. Pre-World War II Paris. A world on the verge of change. A chance meeting between Dora Maar, a young surrealist photographer and the world famous painter, Pablo Picasso would change both their lives forever. Already successful in her field, Dora is said to be a ‘tough cookie’ in a society where women have no vote and an art world where female artists can survive only as the nude model/mistress or muse of a male painter. Picasso, who is reputed to be hard on women, finds Dora not only intriguing, but irresistible. The trauma and inner loneliness underlying his paintings and his cynicism is what draws Dora to this great Man, even to fall in love with him. But as the strains of war increase, their relationship becomes increasingly fraught. Can they both emerge from their shattered relationship intact? How far is too far?
Dora Versus Picasso is co-adapted and co-directed by Fractured Time Productions Artistic Director Claire-Monique Martin and Emma Jesse. Martin also stars a Maar in the production, opposite Kevin G Drury, who plays Picasso. Isobel Woods, Simon Chappell and Samantha Gray complete the cast.
The production also features music by Harriet Grainger, set design by Hannah Williams and lighting design by Anna Joseph.
Dora Versus Picasso‘s run at the Drayton Arms coincides with the opening of a new exhibition at the Tate Modern, claiming to be the most comprehensive retrospective of the surrealist photographer’s work ever help. Running from 20 November 2019 to 15 March 2020, the exhibition explores the breadth of Maar’s career, from her 1930s photomontages to her later life when she focused on other artistic pursuits.
Dora Versus Picasso rehearsal gallery
