''The Shape of the Table'' is a theatrical drama written by David Edgar. It was first staged at the National Theatre, London, UK on 8 November 1990 - the first anniversary of the fall of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

- in a production directed by Jenny Killick.National Theatre : past productions 1986 - 1990
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Overview

''The Shape of the Table'' is a powerful depiction of a fictional

Eastern European Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

nation's transitional journey from stoic

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

leadership to a more Western style democracy. The timing of the original staging to coincide with the first anniversary of the fall of

, and thus the

regime, marked the first in a trilogy of dramas Edgar had written on the theme of negotiation in the region. Other plays include ''

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

'' and '' The Prisoner's Dilemma''. The trilogy was revived by North Carolina’s Burning Coal theatre company in 2014. The title of the play refers to a controversial incident surrounding negotiations held during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. Diplomats from the US, Saigon and Communist leaders took much time deciding the seating positions of delegates before discussions could even begin.

References

External links

The Shape of the Table
at The Complete Review 1990 plays Plays by David Edgar {{1990s-play-stub