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TFTV students present Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat by Mark Ravenhill

Posted on 4 May 2018

Watch a selection of scenes from a play series on war and terror.

For three nights from Thursday 10 May three companies of 2nd Year students studying the Department of Theatre Film and Television's (TFTV) ‘Political Theatre Project’ module will perform scenes from the acclaimed British playwright Mark Ravenhill’s 2007 play series, Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat.

Performing in TFTV’s versatile Black Box Studio, each of the companies will explore the private and public effects of a war that is simultaneously visible, yet never within reach. 

Featured plays

War of the Worlds and The Mother

War of the Worlds is set in a city at war. The chorus are spectators of the atrocities occurring in a neighbouring country. The company explores ideas of military intervention, the exploitation of war victims and how institutional politics affects everyday relationships, within the context of contemporary Britain. The following scene, The Mother, begins with the arrival of two soldiers on Haley’s doorstep, bearing the news that her son has been killed in action. Through this scene, we look to expose the consequences neglected by the government of foreign conflict in the home and the intrusion on the domestic space of outside forces.

The Mother and Paradise Lost

How can a home become fractured by war overseas? What makes a person look the other way? These two plays tackle moral contradiction of responding to a distinct was in the fractured domestic sphere. In The Mother an all-female cast provide a heartfelt and gut-wrenching take on a woman losing her identity as a mother. Paradise Lost then pushes figures to their breaking point. A restless Liz has her principles shattered, bringing into question the morality of some very questionable figures from a world she can only imagine.

Women in Love and War and Peace

Prompted by the news of the airstrikes in Syria in April 2018, Anna reminds Dan where they were during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The reality is that they were a world away from it, safe from the horror that raged on other people’s doorsteps. Or were they? Reflecting on their actions and reactions, they uncover some uncomfortable truths. Apathy, empathy, the exploration of our own insecurities and the prejudices we have about others are all at the forefront. War And Peace explores a seemingly impossible relationship between a seven-year-old boy and a headless soldier. Through the medium of puppetry, we share Alex’s recurrent nightmare. Alex’s bedroom: invaded territory; the soldier: the occupying force. Homeless, alone and morally scarred, the Soldier draws on our desire to understand what a war on terror was, and continues to be.

Details: Black Box Studio, Department of Theatre, Film and Television, Heslington East Campus, University of York. Thursday 10, Friday 11 and Saturday 12 May 2018, 7:30 pm. Open to all staff, students and public.

Tickets: £5, order online and collect on the door.

Enquiries: Contact tftvshoot@gmail.com

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