'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, indispensible 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. The broadcast can be viewed on this website, on 1927’s facebook page and on the Facebook pages and websites of our 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 will also be streaming the show as part of its Anyone//Anywhere season celebrating the 30th anniversary of the web.
Golem is in English with subtitles in French and German, and will be available to view for free until Wednesday 10 April 2019.
Credits
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
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
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
FORTHCOMING
To celebrate World Theatre Day on 27 March 2019 a live film capture of Golem will be screened in across the globe with 10 international arts partners. The broadcast can be viewed live on this website, on 1927’s facebook page and on the Facebook pages and websites of our 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 will also be streaming the show as part of its Anyone//Anywhere season celebrating the 30th anniversary of the web.
Watch it live at 7.00pm GMT; 8,00pm CET & 2.00pm EST on Wednesday 27 March 2019.
Golem will be broadcast in English with subtitles available in French and German.
Performance History
July 2014: Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate, England (development)
22-27 August 2014: Salzburg Festival, Salzburg, Austria (World premiere)
14 November 2014: Stratford Circus, London, England
21 – 22 November 2014: The Old Market – Brighton, England
9 December 2014 – 17 January 2015: Young Vic Theatre, London, England
12-15 March 2015: NTCH, Taipei, Taiwan
27 May – 4 June 2015: Theatre de la Ville, Paris, France
23 - 27 June 2015: Chekhov Festival, Moscow, Russia
13-16 August 2015: Guangzhou Opera House, Guangzhou, China
19-20 August 2015; Arts & Cultural Centre, Zhongshan, China
19-20 August 2015: Arts & Cultural Centre, Zhongshan, China
22-23 August 2015: Shi Xia Drama Theater, Shenzhen, China
25 August 2015: Zhongnan Theatre, Wuhan, China
29-30 August 2015: NCPA, Beijing, China
7-17 October 2015: HOME, Manchester, UK
6-7 November 2015: Oriental Arts Centre, Shanghai, China
10-11 November 2015: Zhongnan Theatre, Wuhan, China
14-15 November 2015: Wulin Lu Theatre, Hangzhou, China
17-19 November 2015: Arts Centre, Suzhou, China
21-22 November 2015: Arts & Cultural Centre, Nanjing, China
25-29 November 2015: Nine Theatre, Beijing, China
9-12 December 2015: Festival de Otoño a Primavera, Madrid
16-17 December 2015: Schauspielhaus Zurich, Switzerland
29 December 2015-16 January 2016: The Old Market, Brighton, UK
8 – 13 March 2016: Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide, Australia
16-26 March 2016: Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney, Australia
14-17 April 2016: E.A.R. Teatro di Messina, Sicily, Italy
11-14 May 2016: Teatro Nazionale, Torino, Italy
8-12 June 2016: Spoleto Festival, Charleston, USA
26-31 July 2016: Lincoln Center Festival, New York, USA
10-13 May 2017: Theatre Royal Plymouth, UK
18-19 May 2017: ILT Festival, Aarhus, Denmark
31 May - 3 June 2017: Bristol Old Vic, Bristol, UK
10 June 2017: New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, UK
13-17 June 2017: Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, UK
21-24 June 2017: Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate, N.Yorks, UK
12-13 July 2017: Festival de Amada, Portugal
15 July 2017: Festival Mit Ribdavia, Galicia, Spain
5-9 September 2017: Cast, Doncaster, UK
12 - 16 September 2017: Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, UK
4-5 October 2017: Theatre Royal Margate, UK
17-21 October 2017: Liverpool Playhouse, Liverpool, UK
31 October 2017: Vitoria-Gasteiz International Theatre Festival, Vitoria, Spain
4-5 November 217: Festival Temporada Alta, Salt (Girona), Spain
16-19 November 2017: LG Arts Centre, Seoul, South Korea
25 November - 2 December 2017: Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
6 - 7 December 2017: Theatre de la Ville Luxembourg, Luxembourg
21-25 March 2018: Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia
22 June 2018: II World Theatre Festival, Astana, Kazakhstan
18 November 2018: Golem was screened in the UK on BBCFour and available on BBC Iplayer until 17 December 2018.
Golem Production Images by Bernhard Mueller
21-25 March 2018: Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia
22 June 2018: II World Theatre Festival, Astana, Kazakhstan