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TheLastDaysofMankindbyKarlKrausAmajornewadaptationpresentedattheLeithTheatreTrust,28-30FerryRoad,EdinburghEH64AE,Scotland,inatranslationbyPatrickHealyCo-directedbyJohnPaulMcGroarty,ScotlandandYuriBirteAnderson,GermanyEuropean Partners: Leith Theatre, Scotland; Theaterlabor, Germany; Smashing Times Theatre andFilm Company, Ireland; Teatr Apart, Katowice, Poland; Plavo Pozoriste, Belgrade, Serbia; KulturaMedialna, Dnipro, Ukraine; Association Arsène, Paris, France. Funded by Creative Europe andCreativeScotland‘Themostimprobabledeedsreportedherereallytookplace’KarlKraus.SmashingTimesTheatreandFilmCompanyaredelightedtobeoneofseven internationaltheatremakersandcreatorsworkingonafull-lengththeatricalproductionofTheLastDaysofMankind,anepic anti-war satire by Viennese writer Karl Kraus in a translation by Patrick Healy, Irish Joyceanpoet,philosopherandprofessor.TheplaywillbeperformedattheLeithTheatreEdinburghonthecentenaryoftheArmisticeonNovember11,2018,exactly100yearsaftertheendingofWorldWarI.TheinternationalcastarejoinedbyIrishactorsMichaelBatesandMichael-DavidMcKernan.LeithTheatre,ScotlandinpartnershipwithartsorganisationsfromacrossEuropeincludingSmashingTimesaredelighted topresent this contemporary satirical accountofWorldWar I,written in thecafes of Vienna by Karl Kraus. With original songs from the Tiger Lilies and an ensemble ofprofessionalactorsdrawnfromScotland,Ireland,Poland,Germany,France,UkraineandSerbia,thisis true European theatre. The play uses contemporary accounts, newspaper reports and politicalspeechestocreateapictureofWorldWarIasithappened.Theplaywaswrittenover100yearsagoby Kraus, who published his own journal with a satirical and critical view on newspapers, socialclimbers and other writers and poets who supported the First World War and, in his view,perpetuatedit.The Last Days of Mankind previews on Saturday 10 November at 7.30pm, opens on Sunday 11November,6.30pmandrunsonTuesday13,Wednesday14,Thursday15andFriday16November2018at7.3pmeacheveningandisco-directedbyYuriBirteAnderson,Theaterlabor,GermanyandJohnPaulMcGroarty,LeithTheatre,Scotland.Theplay isperformedbyaEuropeancastfeaturingactors from Leith Theatre, Scotland, Theatrelabor,Germany, Smashing Times, Ireland, AssociationArsène,France,TeatrApart,Poland,PlavoPozoriste,SerbiaandKulturaMedialna,Dnipro,Ukraine.ForbookingsseeTheLastDaysofMankind.In addition to The Last Days ofMankind, the partners will host Café Europa, a series of culturalactivitiesexploringthemesofwar,conflictandpoliticalengagement.AspartoftheprojectSmashingTimeswillmakeapresentationontheworkofthecompanyandontheroleofwomeninWorldWar
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IandWorldWarIIataCaféEuropaFrameworkProgrammerunningfromthe1to4November2018atLeithTheatre,Edinburgh,Scotland.ForfurtherinformationpleasecontactTamarKeaneSmashingTimesInternationalCentrefortheArtsandHumanRightsincorporatingSmashingTimesTheatreandFilmCompanyandSmashingTimesYouthArtsEnsembleColeraineHouse,ColeraineStreet,Dublin7Tel:+353(0)18656613 Tel:+353(0)872214245Email:[email protected]:www.smashingtimes.ieFacebook:www.facebook.com/smashingtimestheatrecompanyTwitter:https://twitter.com/Smashing_TimesSmashingTimesisaprofessionaltheatreandfilmcompanythatengageswithitsaudiencesthroughperformance,trainingandparticipation.Asa leadingaward-winningprofessionalartsorganisation,thecompanydevelopsinnovative,cuttingedge,stateoftheartprojectsthatpromotehumanrights,genderequalityandpeacethroughhighqualityartisticprocesse,mergingart,cultureandpoliticstointeractandengagewithcontemporarysocietyandtheworldwelivein.ThecompanyispartoftheSmashingTimesInternationalCentrefortheArtsandHumanRightsincorporatingSmashingTimesTheatreandFilmCompanyandtheSmashingTimesYouthArtsEnsemble.Thecentreisdedicatedtothe promotion, study and practice of the arts for human rights. The company is led by MaryMoynihan,ArtisticDirectorandFredaManweiler,Producer.https://www.leiththeatretrust.org/www.theaterlabor.deFurtherReading:TheFirstWorldWarwasacataclysmiceventonaglobalscale.Thus,whentakenupasasubjectfortheatre,onlyaninternationalcastcandojusticetoit.ThisalsoconcernsafiguresuchasKarlKraus.TheAustrianwriterandcritic,whoseplayTheLastDaysofMankindisanunsurpassedmonumenttotheglobalbloodshed,wasafigurenotconfinedtonationalborders.Hissatirical journalDieFackelwasreadalloverEurope,andhe ledan intensivecorrespondencewithartistsand intellectualsonbothsidesofthetrenches.LastDayscapturesthetrulyglobalscaleofthewar,fromtheFrenchandRussian trenches to the war atrocities in the Balkans to the consequences for the most remotecolonies.Onlyaninternationalcollaborativeprojectcandojusticebothtotheworkanditsauthor.TheperformanceispresentedaspartoftheinternationalculturalcollaborationCaféEuropa/Project1568. Co-director Yuri Birte Anderson says: ‘Theaterlabor came to Scotland first in 2015. LeithTheatre'smainauditoriumwasn'topenandwedidworkshops in LeithDockersClub.KrauswasaViennesesatirist,verycontroversialandherecordedeverythingheheardandturneditintoamegadocudrama. Kraus perfectlymanages to capture thewar discourse of his time - the feverishwarcrazethatseemsoverthetoptousnowadays,butitwasreal.ThiswillbetrulyEuropeanTheatre.’TheaimistoshowperformancesinKatowice,PolandandBielefeld,Germany.Co-directorJohnPaulMcGroartysays:‘Krauswasoneofthefewartistswhokeptworkingthroughthewar,hewaswritingaway,takinginnewspaperclippings,writingaboutthingsastheyhappened.Hemadeadocudrama100yearsbeforeanyonehadathoughtofadocudrama.’
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In2016membersofLeithTheatre,ScotlandandTheatrelabor,GermanycametoDublintoseeTheWoman is Present: Women’s Stories of 1916 presented by Smashing Times for the centenarycelebrationsatCityHallandSmockAlleyTheatre,DublinandfeaturingoriginaltestimonyandnewIrishwritingbyMaryMoynihan,PeterSheridanandPomBoyd.AccordingtoartisticdirectorMaryMoynihan
‘Smashing Times were subsequently invited by Theatrelabor to present The Woman isPresent: Women’s Stories of WWII by Mary Moynihan, Deirdre Kinahan, Fiona BawnThompson and Paul Kennedy at the international Crisis Trauma Hope Festival atTheatrelabor’smaintheatrespaceinBielefeld,GermanyinNovember2017.SmashingTimeswentontocreateanewco-productionHowfar,Antigone,collaborativelydevisedbyfourartists from Smashing Times working with six artists from Theatrelabor, Germany andperformed in Germany also in November 2017. The Irish artists were Mary Moynihan(associate artist), and actors Róisín McAtamney, Killian Filan and Laura Brady and theGermany artistswere Yuri Brite Anderson (director), and actors Lukas Pergande, AgnethaJaunich,AlinaTinnefeld,ThomasBehrendandLauraParker.Wearedelighted tocontinueourcreativecollaboration,workingonceagainwithdirectorYuriBirteAndersonandartistsfromTheatrelabor,GermanyandfromLeithTheatre,ScotlandandPoland,Ukraine,SerbiaandFrance.ThistimelyproductionofTheLastDaysofMankindencouragesustoreflectonthedynamicsofwarbothinthepastandtoday.AsanartistIbelievethattheatreandfilmhave key roles to play in contemporary society particularly in relation to telling stories ofconflictanditsimpactonthehumanconditionandaskinghowcanweusearemembranceofwartopromotepeace?
TheproductionofTheLastDaysofMankindtakesplaceintheLeithTheatreinEdinburghinScotlandwhichisnowrunbytheLeithTheatreTrust.Thelastmajortheatricalproductioninthetheatrewasin1988and the venue isnowbeing slowly restored.MikeGriffiths, theplay's ExecutiveProducerand a director of Leith Theatre Trust said: ‘This is a hugely ambitious production but one whichseemsappropriatetotherebirthofLeithTheatre.Thetheatrehasalsobeenavictimofwar,so itseems fitting to present this satire of war and its destruction here in Leith as part of ourcommemorationoftheendofanotherworldwar.’Inaddition,theOlivierawardwinningcabaretartistsTheTigerLillieshavewrittentennewsongsforthe production and will perform alongside the European actors in the magnificent LeithTheatre.MartynJacques’newsongsareinspiredbytheworkofKrausandwillbeperformedbyTheTiger Lilies appearing on stage alongside the actors. The auditorium will be transformed into aViennese cafewith cabaret style seating evoking the atmosphere of fin de siècle Vienna.MartynJacquessaidhewasfindingplentyofinspirationinTheLastDaysofMankind.‘Ihavealreadydoneanalbumaboutthewarpoets-butthisisverydifferent.Theywereheartbrokenyoungmenwaitingtodie.Thisone isverymuchmoresarcastic. It ishumourbutveryblackhumourandofthekind Ilove.ItisreallyperfectforTheTigerLilies.’
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BiographiesMichaelBatesMichaelisseasonedactorandvoiceoverartistwithawiderangeofexperienceonstageandscreenspanningovertwentyfiveyears.HisTVandFilmcreditsincludeAllIsByMySide(DarkoEntertainment),Titanic:BloodandSteel(Showtime),Primeval(ITV),TheTudors(Showtime),TheEscapist(Sky),Aristocrats,Roy(BBC),MysticKnights(Saban),Derelict(ScarletCrescent),TrueD(PhoenixArtz),Frank!(IADT),Mattie,Barry’sBespokeBakery,andFairCity(RTE).TheatreworkincludesClosetotheSun(CivicTheatre),DaveatLarge(CivicTheatre&tour),TheMessenger(WatergateTheatre),Bug(VikingTheatre),Kenna’sFort(NewTheatre),KingLear,RomeoandJuliet(SmockAlley&tour),InSearchofMrB(CivicTheatre&tour),Orphans,ReturningtoHaifa,Tracer,Bankers(NewTheatre),TheHouse(TheAbbey),DownByTheRiver(Bewley’sCaféTheatre),Strike(BeckettCentre),Tic(Focus),TheNewYorkMonologues(SmockAlley),Agamemnon,IphigeniaatAulis,OedipusTheKing(ProjectArtsCentre),TheHostage(PearseCentre),Bouncers(TivoliTheatre)AChristmasCarol(NationalTour),TheCatandTheMoon(NationalLibraryofIreland),Storytaker(DublinFringeFestival),IDoNotLikeTheeDoctorFell(AndrewsLane),Buskin’(Tivoli,CorkOperaHouse),RequiemForJulie(RupertGuinnessTheatre),Kissin’Tell(AndrewsLane),Annie(OlympiaTheatre).MichaelstudiedinTrinityCollegeDublinandtrainedattheFocusStanislavskiStudio.HehassuccessfullycompletedprojectswithnationallyandinternationallyrenownedclientssuchasBBC,CBBC,ITV,Showtime,Sky,RTE,IrishTimes,Eircom,VolkswagenandIreland'sNationalTheatre,TheAbbey.Hehasfacilitatedworkshopsonimprovskillsandauditiontechnique.Oneoftheenduringhighlightsofhiscareerwasperformingthesoloshow,McKenna’sFort(aonemanshowaboutthecontroversialhistoricalfigure,Irishhumanitarianandrebelleader,RogerCasement)forPresidentofIreland,MichaelDHiggins.
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Michael-DavidMcKernanMichael-DavidisanIrishactorbasedinDublinandLondon.Mostrecentlyhewrappedaroleon‘Quantico’forABCStudios/Disney.Hewillbeseenin2018playingShaneTwomeyforElementPictures’‘RedRock’.Michael-DavidrecentlywonanIrishTimesTheatreAwardwiththecastofReality:CheckProductions’‘DiscoPigs&SuckingDublin’(BestEnsemble).In2017heappearedinWhiteLabel’sproductionof‘TheEurydiceProject’whichranattheProjectArtsCentre,asEdmundin‘KingLear’attheMillTheatre,aswellas‘TheVoiceFactor[X]’atTheNewTheatre.Furtherscreencreditsinclude‘3Friends’,‘SummonHerChildren’and’BonsoirLuna’.Heisasingerandamulti-instrumentalistproficientwithpiano,guitar,andmandolin.Michael-DavidisagraduateofTheProgrammeforScreenActingatBowStreetFilmAcademy.HehaspreviouslytrainedinPhysicalTheatreatLAMDAandholdsaFirstClassHonoursdegreeinDrama&TheatreStudiesfromTrinityCollege,Dublin.
