The Constant Prince

A new adaptation of a play by Calderón de la Barca

Fresh from a tour of Egypt, Etha Theatre Company proudly presents a new adaptation of Calderón de la Barca’s 1629 play, The Constant Prince. The play, which had its first major twentieth-century performance in the 1960s at Grotowski’s Laboratory Theatre in Poland, explores the fraught encounter between a Portuguese Prince and the Court of Morocco during the Crusades. Compelled to give up the city of Ceuta to the Moroccans or remain a slave, the prince refuses to be ransomed, reducing himself to abject poverty, servitude, and ultimately martyrdom.

This timely production exposes the personal and political damage that occurs when two monolithic forces, led by strong religious convictions, refuse to compromise.


 


 



Etha Theatre Company is comprised of  young international actors based in Britain and trained in various cross-cultural disciplines. Led by Alexander Zeldin, Etha’s founder and director, the company seeks to break the conventional barriers of language and culture and create a universal form of communication. Captivated by the vibrancy of Egyptian musical and theatrical traditions, Etha has integrated artists from Egypt into the ensemble, including an Arghoul player (one of the few people alive still playing this Pharaonic instrument).

‘a new adaptation…that rejects the play’s original dichotomies and offers a critique of religious intolerance, senseless violence and the stubborn pride of leaders’
Ursula Lindsay, Cairo Magazine (15 September 2005).

‘an extraordinary theatrical experience…seamlessly blended elements of music, dance and drama’
Samuel Plumbly, Daily Star/International Herald Tribune (14th September 2005)

‘crosses times and cultures with a theme that continues to plague human existence – the vanity of power’
Nancy Messieh, The Paper (1st September 2005)

A new adaptation of a play by Calderón de la Barca

SPECIAL OFFER: £2 Discount for Cleansed  ticket holders (not necessarily the same night). Applies to Constant Prince performances on Mon 21st and Wed 23rd November.


£5 Student tickets available Opening Night, Mon 21st.

Please contact Box Office on 02075031646