For nine years, Britain’s TNT Theatre has been acting as a cultural Marco Polo, bringing theatrical classics across the Mainland. Their endeavors have even caught the eye of royalty, founder Paul Stebbings receiving an MBE last year. They’re back at the Lyceum Theatre from December 12-14 with their award-winning adaptation of Hamlet.
“It was a wonderful day with the full pomp of Buckingham Palace on display,” he recalls. “I talked for a while with Prince Charles, who is very interested in China. He wanted to know about how our work was received.”
Stebbings may joke that he originally thought the official government notice was from the tax man, but it’s a well-deserved honor for his contributions to Mainland arts. On top of directing TNT’s shows, he works with local artists at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center on projects such as his China-set, Mandarin adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew.
He first visited China in 1983, the year the country opened up for individual tourism, spending two months backpacking from Yunnan to Northeast China. Following several personal trips, in 2005 he brought TNT Theatre and an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist.
“We were at the right place at the right time,” he says. “We were a breath of fresh air, introducing a dynamic and spontaneous style of live theatre that does not rely on technology. We concentrate on the actor and their relationship with the audience. We are all in one room together!”
Stebbings credits his theatrical philosophy to his teacher Jerzy Grotowski, one of the fathers of contemporary experimental theatre. He founded TNT Theatre along with other students in 1980.
“He taught me to use the actor as a mode of physical expression, an instrument,” Stebbings explains. “That acting is not painting, but sculpting – a cutting away to reveal a shape, not just pretending to be someone else. He said take everything away and what is left is the actor and the audience.”
From the start, TNT Theatre brought their shows over the world. Their first show Harlequin, an original commedia dell’arte about Russian artist Meyerhold’s struggles with Stalin, was revived for a groundbreaking Eastern European tour.
“I was there as the Berlin Wall fell and Poland was swept by solidarity. People flocked to see the show, even though there was no petrol, little food and even less beer – a horrible fact for actors,” recalls Stebbings, who was the first foreign actor to portray the notorious Russian dictator in the region.
“When we created the show, I had no idea it would ever go to Russia. I was frightened, but the response was so warm that I soon forgot my fears. Audiences take what they want from theatre. We offer questions, not answers. Never preach with art. Trust the audience.”
Eastern Europe is now a part of TNT Theatre’s expansive touring circuit, while they dominate English language theatre in Germany, France and Japan, performing at more outdoor castles and palaces than any other theatrical company. They have won awards from Singapore to Tehran, where Hamlet won first prize at the Fajr Festival, the largest arts festival in the Muslim world.
Stebbings will direct the show for a third time for its upcoming Mainland tour. Describing it as Shakespeare’s greatest play, he’s excited that TNT veterans Richard Keightley, Mark Prince and Louise Lee are returning, allowing him to “concentrate on scenes that are not just about the Prince, to create a denser and more exciting production.”
It’s the latest Shakespearean staple that TNT Theatre has brought to China, most recently touring Romeo and Juliet this summer. Despite their sterling reputation, Stebbings hopes the company will be able to show off their more contemporary side in the future.
“China seems to want TNT to perform classics, but we hope to bring our production of FRANKENSTEIN: the Monster the Myth next year,” he says. “It’s a newly written TNT play and a big hit for us in Europe.”
// Dec 12-14, 7.30pm (with 2pm matinee on Saturday). Lyceum Theatre, tickets.
*****WIN!!!**********
We have a pair of tickets to Hamlet to give away. Simply answer the following: Who is the only actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for a Shakespearean role?
E-mail your answers to win@urbanatomy.com with the subject ‘Hamlet’ by Dec 7 for your chance to win.
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