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[BLANK] is a 2019 play by Alice Birch. The play consists of 100 unrelated scenes from which a director may pick and choose. Its 2019 premiere at the Donmar Warehouse in London was in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Clean Break.

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Written byAlice Birch
Date premieredOctober 17, 2019 (2019-10-17)
Place premieredDonmar Warehouse, London

Development

The play's 100 scenes run over 400 pages and all explore what happens when and after a woman goes to prison.[1][2] Birch's writing was inspired by her work with Clean Break and women affected by the criminal justice system.[3]

Production history

Prior to the play's official premiere, the National Theatre’s youth festival Connections staged a version of [BLANK] in 2018.[4]

Maria Aberg directed the premiere of [BLANK] at the Donmar Warehouse in London, which officially began its run on October 17, 2019.[5] This production was produced by theatre company, Clean Break, which works with women affected by the prison system, and celebrated their fortieth anniversary.[6][7] The premiere featured an all-female cast and creative team. The actors were Ayesha Antoine, Shona Babayemi, Sophia Brown, Jackie Clune, Grace Doherty, Lucy Edkins, Zaris-Angel Hator, Zainab Hasan, Joanna Horton, Thusitha Jayasundera, Petra Letang, Leah Mondesir-Simmonds, Kate O’Flynn, Ashna Rabheru, Jemima Rooper, and Taya Tower.[5] Twenty-two of the 100 scenes were performed.[8][9] The production featured a two-tiered set design by Rosie Elnile.[7]

Cambridge University's Fletcher Players staged [BLANK] in 2021. Director Rae Morris made the play into an online radio play.[10] In 2022, [BLANK] was staged at the Badischen Staatstheater Karlsruhe.[11] Director Anna Bergmann chose 35 scenes.[12]

Analysis

The pick-and-choose structure of the 100 scenes is reminiscent of Caryl Churchill.[8][13]

Awards and nominations

[BLANK] was nominated for the 2020 James Tait Black Prize.[14]

References
  1. Clapp, Susannah (2019-10-26). "The week in theatre: [Blank]; Lungs; Vassa – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  2. Wood, Alex (2019-04-02). "Michael Longhurst's first Donmar Warehouse season to include Alice Birch, Caryl Churchill and more". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  3. Saville, Alice (2019-10-17). "'[Blank]' review | Theatre in London". Time Out London. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  4. Jones, Alice (2019-10-16). "Alice Birch on her new play, writing Succession and adapting Normal People". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  5. Skethway, Nathan (2019-10-16). "New Photos From the World Premiere of Alice Birch's [BLANK] in London". Playbill. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  6. Wurtzel, David (2019-11-18). "Theatre review: [BLANK] by Alice Birch". Counsel Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  7. Meyer, Dan (2019-09-03). "All-Female Cast Set for London World Premiere of Alice Birch's [Blank]". Playbill. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  8. Billington, Michael (2019-10-18). "[Blank] review – Alice Birch's build-your-own-play experiment". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  9. Curtis, Nick (2019-10-18). "[BLANK] review: Layered and powerful achievement". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  10. Robinson, Emma (2021-02-05). "[BLANK] is complex and expressive, but falls short in its experimentation". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  11. Wetzel, Marie-Dominique (2022-02-05). ""Blank" von Alice Birch in Karlsruhe - Im Sog der Gewalt". Deutschlandfunk Kultur (in German). Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  12. Wetzel, Marie-Dominique (2022-02-07). ""[Blank]" am Badischen Staatstheater Karlsruhe — Anna Bergmann inszeniert eine Spirale der Gewalt". swr.online (in German). Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  13. Dilek, Mert (2019-10-26). "Alice Birch's "[BLANK]" at the Donmar Warehouse". The Theatre Times. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  14. Wood, Alex (2020-08-18). "James Tait Black Prize 2020 nominees revealed". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
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