'Golem'
Drawing on the myth of The Golem - the story of a man who fashions a creature out of clay to work for him - as a starting point, 1927 has creating an original production exploring man and his machines. 1927’s Golem is not a re-telling or adaptation of the Golem myth but an original story that examines the relationship between an extraordinarily ordinary man, and his Golem...
Located in a fictional yet familiar world, where technology and the market economy have evolved to a point of transcending the boundaries of human control, Golem has become a must have, indispensable ingredient for a better life. But its very existence, threatens the prospect of those who created it.
Golem had its world premiere at Salzburg State Theatre, Salzburg Festival, Austria on 22 August 2014.
In 2018, we collaborated with The Space to capture Golem on film, which debuted on BBC4 in November 2018.
To celebrate World Theatre Day on 27 March 2019 we broadcast the film capture of Golem with 10 international arts partners - Taiwan’s National Theater and Concert Hall, Spoleto Festival USA, HOME Manchester, Brighton’s The Old Market, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Belgium’s La Libre newspaper, Jewish Museum Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin and The Space. The British Council also streamed the show as part of its Anyone//Anywhere season celebrating the 30th anniversary of the web.
Golem is in English with subtitles available in English, French and German.
A 1927, Salzburg Festival, Théâtre de la Ville Paris & Young Vic co-production
Development supported by The Tolmen Centre Cornwall, Harrogate Theatre, Stratford Circus & Tom - The Old Market
Golem has been supported by funding from Arts Council England through Grants for the Arts
QUOTES AND AWARDS
‘A cracked, exaggerated, funhouse mirror reflection of our world that you could stare into for days’Time Out
’funny, unsettling and unforgettable…a Frankenstein for the 21st Century…alive with irony, imagination and humanity’ The Times
’Groundbreaking with strokes of genius…A witty collision of antiquated aesthetics, wide ranging cultural influences and modern day sensibilities’ Daily Telegraph
‘Unlike anything you will have experienced before - 1927 is officially the sexiest theatre company in town’ Evening Standard
’A bleak, delightful, antique, topical treat in every way’ Financial Times
‘You won’t find a more dazzlingly synchronized interaction between live performance and a crazily satiric world than in Golem’ The Independent
’It's Kafka meets Little Shop of Horrors…once it’s over your head spins with a thousand images’
WhatsOnStage
’Brilliant and endlessly inventive… Theatre for 1927 is a four dimensional affair, and Golem scores on every plane’
The Arts Desk
Credits
Created by 1927
Directed & Written by Suzanne Andrade
Film, Animation & Design by Paul Barritt
Music by Lillian Henley
Associate Direction & Design Esme Appleton
Sound Design by Laurence Owen
Costume by Sarah Munro
Dramaturgy: Ben Francombe
Animation Associate: Derek Andrade
Drums & Percussion - Additional Composition: Will Close
Projection Screen Design: James Lewis
Set Built by Joe Marchant & West Yorkshire Playhouse
Costume Construction Sarah Munro, Assisted by Martha Copeland
Production Manager: Helen Mugridge & Andres Velasquez
Sound Technician: Chris Prosho
Producer: Jo Crowley
Photography Credit: Bernhard Mueller
Performance History
18 November 2018: Golem was screened in the UK on BBCFour and available on BBC Iplayer until 17 December 2018.
22 June 2018: II World Theatre Festival, Astana, Kazakhstan
21-25 March 2018: Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia
6 - 7 December 2017: Theatre de la Ville Luxembourg, Luxembourg
25 November - 2 December 2017: Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
16-19 November 2017: LG Arts Centre, Seoul, South Korea
4-5 November 217: Festival Temporada Alta, Salt (Girona), Spain
31 October 2017: Vitoria-Gasteiz International Theatre Festival, Vitoria, Spain
17-21 October 2017: Liverpool Playhouse, Liverpool, UK
4-5 October 2017: Theatre Royal Margate, UK
12 - 16 September 2017: Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, UK
5-9 September 2017: Cast, Doncaster, UK
15 July 2017: Festival Mit Ribdavia, Galicia, Spain
12-13 July 2017: Festival de Amada, Portugal
21-24 June 2017: Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate, N.Yorks, UK
13-17 June 2017: Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, UK
10 June 2017: New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, UK
31 May - 3 June 2017: Bristol Old Vic, Bristol, UK
18-19 May 2017: ILT Festival, Aarhus, Denmark
10-13 May 2017: Theatre Royal Plymouth, UK
26-31 July 2016: Lincoln Center Festival, New York, USA
8-12 June 2016: Spoleto Festival, Charleston, USA
11-14 May 2016: Teatro Nazionale, Torino, Italy
14-17 April 2016: E.A.R. Teatro di Messina, Sicily, Italy
16-26 March 2016: Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney, Australia
8 – 13 March 2016: Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide, Australia
29 December 2015-16 January 2016: The Old Market, Brighton, UK
16-17 December 2015: Schauspielhaus Zurich, Switzerland
9-12 December 2015: Festival de Otoño a Primavera, Madrid
25-29 November 2015: Nine Theatre, Beijing, China
21-22 November 2015: Arts & Cultural Centre, Nanjing, China
17-19 November 2015: Arts Centre, Suzhou, China
14-15 November 2015: Wulin Lu Theatre, Hangzhou, China
10-11 November 2015: Zhongnan Theatre, Wuhan, China
6-7 November 2015: Oriental Arts Centre, Shanghai, China
7-17 October 2015: HOME, Manchester, UK
29-30 August 2015: NCPA, Beijing, China
25 August 2015: Zhongnan Theatre, Wuhan, China
22-23 August 2015: Shi Xia Drama Theater, Shenzhen, China
19-20 August 2015: Arts & Cultural Centre, Zhongshan, China
19-20 August 2015; Arts & Cultural Centre, Zhongshan, China
13-16 August 2015: Guangzhou Opera House, Guangzhou, China
23 - 27 June 2015: Chekhov Festival, Moscow, Russia
27 May – 4 June 2015: Theatre de la Ville, Paris, France
12-15 March 2015: NTCH, Taipei, Taiwan
9 December 2014 – 17 January 2015: Young Vic Theatre, London, England
21 – 22 November 2014: The Old Market – Brighton, England
14 November 2014: Stratford Circus, London, England
22-27 August 2014: Salzburg Festival, Salzburg, Austria (World premiere)
July 2014: Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate, England (development)