Assembly George Square Studios, One, 11.45, Running Time: 90mins. Dates:31 July, 2,4,6,8,10,14,16 August. Preview 31 July. Tickets: Preview 31 July £6; 2 & 6-16 August £9; 4 August 2 for 1 £11
A closer look at the lives of Shakespeare’s commoners.
In the year of Shakespeare’s 450th anniversary the ITDP takes a fresh look at his eight iconic Wars of the Roses plays. Focusing on the scenes and characters often sacrificed in other adaptations, The Dogs of War re-examines representations of war via the bodies of the common people.
With an ensemble of sixteen portraying more than three dozen different characters, The Dogs of War brings into light the gritty lives of the populace: living under six kings, spanning forty odd years, clamouring to have their voices heard by the powers that supposedly represent them, and undoubtedly govern their fates.
The Dogs of War highlights the discrepancy between those in power who make decisions, and the people who have to live out the ensuing consequences. At the same time it examines the similarities in human experience of war, as a chorus guides us through the underbellies of some of the Bard’s most famous plays.
Unfolding in an episodic rather than linear plot line, The Dogs of War is a strikingly contemporary, multimedia incarnation of the history canon. It investigates the consequences of privileging the voices that we as audiences have been unable or unwilling to hear, and asks what these commoners reveal for us in our own particular time and space.
Devised, adapted, and directed by Josy Miller, The Dogs of War re-orientates Shakespeare’s words alongside new text by Master of Verona author, David Blixt. Miller is a California based theatre director, scholar and educator whose current work focuses on Practice-as-Research and contemporary Shakespearean performance. Miller was a 2014 recipient of the University of California Institute for Research in the Arts’ Major Grant Award to support this production.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
