Preview: The Trial

 By Amy Price.

“I’m free. But I’m under arrest.”

“They don’t arrest you for nothing.”

 

Favourite Line?

Henry Fell (K): “My God, she’s so soft, attractive, and warm.”

 

 

Things to look out for?

Alex Colville (Chorus): Light defecation on stage…and orgasm sounds…

All: The gargoyles, and the train.

Hamish Clayton (Director): Basically any of the physical creations of cast. It’s all very Berkoff.

 

 

How weird will this show be?

All: It’ll be the weirdest thing you’ve seen in Durham all year.

Will Clarke (Chorus): It’s a challenging piece.

Helena Kirkman (Chorus): It’s less about the audience’s understanding, but about the images created on stage.

Connie O’Conor (Chorus): If you leave confused, you’ve understood it.

 

 

“All cases are a foregone conclusion.”

 

 

 

Do you even claim to fully understand it?

Hamish Clayton (Director): No. But it’s more about playing around with it. I definitely have an idea, but there are so many ideas that you could grab on to, which makes an exact understanding near-impossible. But there have been too many naturalistic plays in Durham – I wanted to do something new.

 

 

So has this been an enjoyable process, working your way through it all?

Henry Fell (K): It’s easily been the enjoyable in terms of the work-shops; they’ve been the best I’ve been involved with in Durham.

Courtney Cliffe (Chorus): It’s been a collaborative process; we’ve done lots of the devising together.

Hamish Clayton (Director): It’s been a case of one director, seven assistant directors.

 

 

‘The court has a strange attraction doesn’t it?’

 

 

What have been your influences?

Hamish Clayton (Director): Well I’ve never watched a production of The Trial, but there is a lot of detail in the script – Berkhov had a clear idea of what it should look like and we’ve been true to that.

 

 

 

 ‘The man thinks the Law should be accessible to everyone.’

See ‘The Trial’ at the Assembly Rooms, 19:30,  11th-13th March.

 

Photography: Amy Price.