top of page

The Playground Theatre Presents

The Dream of A Ridiculous Man (Work In Progress Showing)

2 - 9 NOV
7.30PM | 4PM

By F. Dostoevsky

Adapted and Directed by Saulius Varnas | With Peter Tate

Set design by Jurate Raciskaite | Video editing and mapping by Helena Hipólito | Stage manager May Bucilliat 

Countries Represented: England, Lithuania, Russia, Portugal, Greece & France

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, is based on one of F. Dostoevsky's most relevant short stories. Saulius offers a radical new interpretation of this mini masterpiece.

 

Peter Tate (Picasso : Le Monstre Sacre and The Girl in the Green Jumper) will take the title role. We will present the work in its exploratory phase, testing it with the Voila! Festival audience as a work-in-progress. Audience feedback will play a crucial role in shaping and refining the piece before its final development stage.

 

Suicidal, The Ridiculous Man, falls asleep and dreams of a utopian Earth on a distant planet, identical to Earth.

 

Blending reality and dreams with the use of multimedia, including paintings by Lithuanian artist M.K. Čiurlionis, the play creates a visual and emotional tapestry. It resonates with humanity's eternal quest for a perfect society, reflecting our innate longing for a lost paradise.


Countries Represented: England, Lithuania, Russia, Portugal, Greece & France

BOOKING INFORMATION

Sat 2 NOV | 7.30 PM

Sun 3 Nov | 4 PM 


VOILÀ! FESTIVAL DATES

Tue - Sat | 5 - 9 Nov | 7.30 PM 


Duration: 70 min

Interval: n/a

Content Warnings: References to suicide

Recommended for 14+


Tickets (All unreserved)


Preview £14 

General Admission £18

Senior 60+ | Unemployed | Under 30 | Student £14

Access for All £14
Note: Please contact boxoffice@theplaygroundtheatre.org.uk for your complementary ticket for a carer/companion/friend


Note this event has one week as part of the Voilà! Theatre Festival 


VOILÀ! Tickets:

General Admission £16

Senior 60+ | Unemployed | Under 30 | Student | Access for All £12.50


CAST | CREATIVES | PRODUCTION TEAM

SAULIUS VARNAS | Lithuanian Director

Directing Credits


Prior to the war in Ukraine, Saulius Varnas was Artistic Director of the National Theatre in Belarus where he received the highest honour as laureate best director.

For his many productions, Saulius has been awarded multiple accolades for directing, stage design and music across many international and Lithuanian theatre festivals.

 

His work has been acclaimed in Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Latvia, Belarus, India, Macedonia, Albania and Israel.





PETER TATE as The Ridiculous Man


Founder and Artistic Director of The Playground Theatre, actor Peter Tate has played many leading roles including at The National Theatre, The Arts Theatre in the West End, The Almeida Theatre as well as The Public Theatre in New York and several European Theatres, most recently in Milan at Teatro Filodrammatici


His interest in European Theatre culminated in an invitation to play Macbeth by the acclaimed Polish Director Henryk Baranowski at the Teatr Śląski in Poland. 


 Most recently at The Playground Theatre, Tate took on the role of the brilliant but bipolar artist Cyril Mann in The Girl in the Green Jumper.  His highly acclaimed award winning one man show Picasso: Le Monstre Sacre directed by Olivier award winner Guy Masterson followed it's run at The Playground with a multiple ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ run at The Edinburgh Fringe.

 

Prior to that, Peter Tate played Shylock in A Merchant of Venice directed by Bill Alexander. His own play One Man premiered last spring as part of the Love and Destruction evening and has just recently competed filming. 


Tate has won numerous awards for his stage version of Odd Man Out in Jerusalem, St Petersburg and Wroclaw to name a few. The Film adaptation of Odd Man Out has garnered Tate numerous best actor awards at International film festivals.



REVIEWS




Book tickets

Choose a date and click on it to book your ticket:



bottom of page