Woyzeck on the Highveld
bite events: Handspring Puppet Company, South Africa
Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 September 2011: Silk Street Theatre, Barbican Centre.
If you were one of the many who enjoyed "War Horse", then you'll be excited to hear that creators: The Handspring Puppet Company are bringing their critically acclaimed "Woyzeck on the Highveld" to the Barbican Silk Street Theatre, as part of their UK and European Tour.
Originally created in 1992 and directed and designed by renowned artist and film-maker William Kentridge, this 2011 revival is directed by Luc de Wit. The production, an adaptation of German writer Georg Büchner's famous play of jealousy, murder and the struggle of an individual against an uncaring society which eventually destroys him, was the first collaboration between Handspring and Kentridge.
Woyzeck on the Highveld combines Handspring's rod-manipulated puppets and Kentridge's 
animated film, graphically illustrating Woyzeck's tortured mind as he tries to make sense of his external circumstances. Büchner's Woyzeck was a German soldier in the 1800s but in this version Woyzeck is a migrant worker in 1956 Johannesburg, a landscape of barren industrialisation.
Handspring is an internationally renowned company at the forefront of contemporary theatre. Founded in Cape Town in 1981 its productions explore puppet theatre in an African context. The company's co-founder Adrian Kohler appears in the London run alongside actor Mncedisi Shabangu. Kohler also gives a post-show talk on Wednesday 7 September. Handspring won the Olivier Award, Evening Standard award and Critics' Circle Theatre award for best design for War Horse; they have since won five Tony Awards in the US.
The UK tour of Woyzeck on the Highveld is supported by Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales and Welsh Assembly Government. Woyzeck on the Highveld is presented by UK Arts International and Sarah Ford/Quaternaire in association with the Barbican, Warwick Arts Centre and The Puppet Centre Trust.
A neat, condensed introduction to "Woyzeck on the Highveld" by the Olivier award winning, Handspring Puppet Company.
Venue: Silk Street Theatre: for a detailed Barbican map click through.
Dates and time: Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 September 2011, 7.45pm (also 3:00pm on 10th Sept)
Running time: 90 minutes (no interval)
Tickets: £18-22
Age guidance: 14+
Tickets to all bite events can be booked 24 hours a day with Barbican's secure online ticketing system:
Barbican box office: 0845 120 7550 (10am – 8pm Monday – Saturday; 11am – 8 pm Sundays and Bank Holidays)
Nearest Tube: Barbican or Moorgate.
Further Tour Dates
Warwick Arts Centre, http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/
Dates and Times: Tuesday 11 – Saturday 15 October, 7:30pm
Lyric Theatre, Belfast Festival, http://www.lyrictheatre.co.uk/
Dates and Times: Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 October, 7:45pm and Sat Mat 2:30pm
Wales Millennium Centre, http://www.wmc.org.uk/
Dates and Times: Tuesday 25 – Wednesday 26 October, 8:00pm and Wed Mat 1:30pm
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, http://www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk/
Dates and Times: Friday 28 – Saturday 29 October, 7:30pm and Sat Mat 2:00pm
Hall for Cornwall, http://www.hallforcornwall.co.uk/
Dates and Times: Tuesday 1– Wednesday 2 November, 7:30pm and Wed Mat 2:30pm
Exeter Northcott, http://www.exeternorthcott.co.uk/
Dates and Times: Friday 4 – Saturday 5 November, 7:30pm and Sat Mat 2:30pm
Oxford Playhouse, http://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/
Dates and Times: Tuesday 8 – Saturday 12 November, Tues – Thurs and Sat eves 7:30pm, Fri 8:00pm and Sat Mat, 2:30pm
