DIRECTOR'S NOTE

Kafka's 'The Trial', follows a man, K, as he is arrested and released for an unknown offence and attends a series of bizarre trials. He tries to comprehend and extricate himself from an outrageous course of events, which transpire suddenly in his life. The Trial is a satirical attack of bureaucracy, yet to many it is eerily prescient of the psychological weaponry used by the much more insidious totalitarian regimes to come.

I first encountered Steven Berkoff's interpretation of 'The Trial' in 1995 when I was asked to produce the show for The Watford Palace Youth Theatre. As a company we found the material both challenging and satisfying. This ensemble piece demands tremendous energy and the use of very specific theatrical techniques in voice, characterisation and physicality. It was for these reasons that I suggested 'The Trial' for Breakaway, also it seems to have great relevance in the world today. It is my intention to create a dark, surreal world for Joseph K to inhabit using predominantly black, white and greys with occasional splashes of vivid colours. I shall also be using white frames to create locations, frame the performers and explore imagery. The nightmarish quality of shadows will be an integral part of the look of the piece. The theatrical nature of this piece allows space for invention and imagination on the part of the director and the company.