THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (Harold Pinter)

"WELCOME TO THE PARTY ......... LEAVE REALITY AT THE DOOR!" When Harold Pinter was awarded the Noble Prize for literature in 2005 the citation from the Swedish Academy named him as 'the foremost representative of British drama in te second half of the 20th century'. The Birthday Party started the ball rolling for Pinter in 1958 and nearly fifty years later the Graduate Dramatic Society is proud to present this classic of absurdist theatre as the third play of our 2007 season. Acclaimed in the Guardian Newspaper as a "brilliant play: one that was ahead of its time in 1958 but that now seems frighteningly timeless" (London Guardian), The Birthday Party is one of Pinter's most important works. It's an in your face drama without being in your face. It’s riveting, yet nothing happens. The passage of time for a sleepy seaside guesthouse contains madness, emotional breakdowns, yet leaves you feeling like you’ve just chatted with a next-door neighbour. It is a play of opposites, contradictions and a continuous struggle for power. CAST: Jacqui Warner - MEG Phil Mackenzie - PETEY Martin Lindsay - STANLEY Nyree Hughes - LULU David Gregory - McCANN Eddie Stowers - GOLDBERG GRADS - Dolphin Theatre Director - Peter Clark Stage Manager - Rob Warner