Knives in Hens

Editorial

When: Previews 6.30pm, 26 Aug, 8pm, 27 Aug; Season 8pm, 29 Aug-12 Sep; Matinees 2pm, 5 Sep, 11am 9 Sep 2009
Where: Adelaide Festival Centre Space Theatre
Tickets: Adult $45-$60, concession $40-$55
Bookings: Bass 131-246

The State Theatre Company of South Australia in association with Malthouse Melbourne presents Scottish playwright David Harrower's impressive debut play, Knives in Hens.

First performed in 1995, Knives in Hens is one of the most produced Scottish plays since Peter Pan. Set in a pre-industrial rural village, it's about a young woman, newly married to a ploughman, but uneducated and unaware. But then she meets the village miller, who introduces her to the written word and its power.

It's a passionate and articulate play that stars Kate Box, Robert Menzies and Dan Spielman, and is directed by State Theatre Company Associate Director Geordie Brookman.

“Knives in Hens has stayed embedded in my head ever since I read it five years ago. Haunting and poetic, the play is an audacious attempt to explore the power of knowledge,” says Brookman. “I'm particularly excited to be approaching the play in a co-production with Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre, one of the country's most exciting and innovative arts companies.”

“A remarkable theatrical debut. Knives in Hens is a play you feel. Articulation comes later and is never adequate.” The Guardian

Tim Hunter, Citysearch