The Writer

An empty theatre, the performance is over. An audience member who came back to retrieve her backpack runs into the director of the show and takes the opportunity to air her grievances. Herself a  writer, she is horrified both by the performance itself and by the director’s self-importance. What follows is a passionate argument about the theatre, about the inextricable entanglement of art and commerce, clichéd gender images and power structures in a male-dominated world. At its end, the director invites the author to write a play for him…

What makes a good show? Who or what decides what will be presented? How do commercial considerations influence artistic decisions? Is power – whether at the workplace, in art or in relationships – male? Can a system be transformed from within? In her latest play, British author Ella Hickson combines witty entertainment with relentless social analysis. Adhering to the traditions of the well-made-play and yet a formal experiment, Hickson’s "The Writer" uses its author’s own profession to address the big social issues, reaching conclusions that are uncomfortable for all of us.

"The Writer" will be directed by Fritzi Wartenberg who studied theatre directing at the Max Reinhardt Seminar. It is the second production in the context of WORX, the programme for emerging artists.