''Sleep No More'' is an immersive theatre production created by British theatre company

Punchdrunk Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse o ...

. Based on Punchdrunk's original 2003 London production, the company reinvented ''Sleep No More'' in a co-production with the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), which opened at the Old Lincoln School in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

on October 8, 2009. It won Punchdrunk the

Elliot Norton Award The Elliot Norton Awards are presented annually to honor the best achievements in Boston-area theater. The genesis of the awards was the Norton Medal, which was first awarded in 1983 and was named after long-time theater critic Elliot Norton (1903 ...

for Best Theatrical Experience 2010.

Overview

The production was a new and expanded version of Punchdrunk's 2003 production of the same name which was performed in the Beaufoy Building, London, a disused Victorian school. Unlike a conventional

stage play A play is a work of drama, usually consisting mostly of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and intended for theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Reading (process), reading. The writer of a play is called a playwright. Pla ...

, ''Sleep No More'' is an immersive experience in which audiences are free to explore the world of the performance at will. It combined plot and characters of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' with characters, narrative, and aesthetic elements inspired by the films of

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, in particular ''

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

'', an

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

of the novel of the same name by English author

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...

Relationship to ''Macbeth''

Assistant director Paul Stacey says that "every line of Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'' is embedded in the multiple languages—sound, light, design, and dance—of ''Sleep No More.''"

Characters

There were 18 characters in the 2009 production of ''Sleep No More,'' most of them taken directly from Shakespeare's Scottish tragedy, ''Macbeth''.

Immersion of audience

Audience members are invited to explore the world of the production in their own time, choosing for themselves what to watch and where to go. Unlike a conventional play, in which all audience members share the experience of witnessing the same events on the same stage, ''Sleep No More'' provides the audience with a more fragmented, multi-layered and individualized experience. As directors Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle say in the program notes, "exploring the space individually, the audience is given the opportunity to both act in and direct their own film; to revisit, to edit and to indulge themselves as voyeurs."

Absence of dialogue

Though the plot is driven forward by events and interactions, Punchdrunk has developed a unique physical performance language in which there is almost no speaking by the performers. In describing ''Sleep No More,'' the directors write that "Screen dialogues become intense physical duets between characters and the body becomes the site of debate. Spoken words rarely find their way into our world; we are excited by the human body as a primary source of emotive storytelling."

Old Lincoln School

The venue for ''Sleep No More'' was the surplus Old Lincoln School at 194

Boylston Street Boylston Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. The street begins in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood, forms the southern border of the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common, runs through Back Bay, and e ...

(Route 9) in

. The complex and overlapping subplots unfolded across 44 rooms on all four stories of the school building.

Credits

''Sleep No More'' is directed and devised by Felix Barrett and

Maxine Doyle Maxine Doyle (January 1, 1915 — May 7, 1973) was an American film actress who appeared in almost 40 films between 1933 and 1946. Today's audiences may know Maxine Doyle from her appearance in the Leon Errol musical short '' Service with a Smi ...

, with the company. *Felix Barrett....Director and Designer *Maxine Doyle....Director and Choreographer *Stephen Dobbie....Sound and Graphic Designer *Livi Vaughan....Associate Designer *Beatrice Minns....Associate Designer *David Israel Reynoso....Costumer (Costume Designer) *Mikhael Tara Garver....Staff Director *Paul Stacey....Assistant Director *Carolyn Rae Boyd....Stage Manager

Cast (October 8 - November 8)

*Phil Atkins as Duncan *Hector Harkness as Malcolm *Geir Hytten as Macbeth *Vinicius Salles as Banquo *Robert McNeill as Macduff *Thomas Kee as Porter *Sarah Dowling as Lady Macbeth *Alli Ross as Lady Macduff *Conor Doyle as Witch *Stephanie Eaton as Witch *Fernanda Prata as Witch *Careena Melia as Hecate *Poornima Kirby as The Second Mrs. de Winter *Tori Sparks as Mrs. Danvers *Alexander LaFrance as Bellhop/Taxidermist *Deo Azben as Speakeasy Bartender *Annie Goodchild as Annie Darcy *Hayley Jane Soggin as Elsie Price *Robert Najarian as Man in Bar

Cast (from November 10)

*Phil Atkins as Duncan *Robert Najarian as Malcolm *Eric Jackson-Bradley as Macbeth *Jeffery Lyon as Banquo *Luke Murphy as Macduff *Thomas Kee as Porter *Tori Sparks as Lady Macbeth *Alli Ross as Lady Macduff *Jordan Morley as Witch *Stephanie Eaton as Witch *Kelly Bartnik as Witch *Careena Melia as Hecate *Poornima Kirby as The Second Mrs. de Winter *Hope T. Davis as Mrs. Danvers *Alexander LaFrance as Bellhop/Taxidermist *Deo Azben as Speakeasy Bartender *Annie Goodchild as Annie Darcy *Hayley Jane Soggin as Elsie Price *Matt Spano as Charlie, Man in Bar

The Annie Darcy Band

*Bass/Sax....Timo Shanko *Drums....Django Carranza *Piano....Rusty Scott

''Sleep No More'' and the ART

''Sleep No More'' was presented as part of the ART's ''Shakespeare Exploded!'' festival, which included '' The Donkey Show'', a disco adaptation of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'', and ''Best of Both Worlds'', an R&B/gospel musical inspired by ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

''.

Production dates

Though the production was to run from October 8, 2009 to January 3, 2010, the run was extended through February 7, 2010. The extended run sold out. ''Sleep No More'' won Punchdrunk the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Theatrical Experience 2010.

Reviews

*Encore Magazin
review
*Boston Globe review
12
*Harvard Crimso
review
*Broookline Ta
review
*The Guardia
review
*Variet

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sleep No More (2009 Play) Postmodern plays 2009 plays Theatre in Massachusetts Plays and musicals based on Macbeth Plays set in Scotland British plays Plays based on films