With rehearsals underway for Defibrillator’s production of Stephen Karam’s Speech and Debate opening at Trafalgar Studios on 24 February, the company announces a revival of Sam Shepard’sA Lie of the Mind. Defibrillator Artistic Director James Hillier directs the production opening at Southwark Playhouse on 8 May, with previews from 4 May running until 28 May.
“Love… its a disease that makes ya’ feel good. While it lasts. Then, when it’s gone, yer worse off than before you caught it.”
America. The great wide open. Two families torn apart by more than one brutal marriage. Out of this bleak landscape emerges a human spirit that burns bright in its fight for salvation.
At heart a love story, this poetic and gritty play explores the ambivalence of family relationships, of love lost and found, against the backdrop of a macho American West. Humorous, dark and mystical A Lie of the Mind was written by Sam Shepard at the height of his powers.
James Hillier said,
“In 2017, with a post-truth President in the White House, this play which charts the carnage that ensues from self-deception is as relevant now as when first performed in 1985.”
Sam Shepard (b 1942) is a playwright, actor, director and author. He has written over 45 plays (11 of which have won Obie Awards) including True Love, Fool for Love and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Buried Child, recently seen at Trafalgar Studios starring Ed Harris. He also wrote the screenplay for Wim Wender’s Paris, Texas for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
James Hillier is Artistic Director of Defibrillator. His directing credits include, most recently, Terry Johnson’s Insignificance at Langham Place, New York, the première production of Tennessee Williams’ The Hotel Plays at the Grange Hotel in 2012 and The Langham, London in 2014, The Armour (also The Langham, winner of an award at Le Miami Rebels) and Hard Feelings (Finborough Theatre). Hillier has directed a number of short films, including How To Make A Good First Impression Part 1 which went on to win awards at Tribecca Film Festival and Cannes. As an actor, he has worked at the National, Almeida Theatre, Bush Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange and the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. He is currently shooting the second season of The Crown.
DEFIBRILLATOR is an award-winning London based company with a growing reputation for delivering inspiring and entertaining theatre in both conventional and non-theatre settings. With a history of bringing to life material that may have been forgotten, the company is increasingly developing and discovering new works from UK and international writers for audiences around the world. Defibrillator is led by Artistic Director James Hillier and Executive Producer Trish Wadley, supported by the Stage One Bursary Scheme for New Producers.
