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'He is a Chekhov of our time: holding his characters with as much humanity, compassion, humor and love - but without holding back his scathing indictment of deeply entrenched, systemic injustices and inequities.' - David Schwimmer
The Inequalities combines three plays from British author and director Alexander Zeldin into a trilogy that tells new stories of love, compassion and resilience for our time of austerity.
Contextualised with an essay before each play and an in-depth interview with the author, Zeldin's three pieces present intimate stories of work, home and community in a radical form of realism. Written after extensive research across the United Kingdom, and involving people affected by the central themes of the plays, The Inequalities goes beyond social chronicle, achieving a timeless portrait of humanity under duress. This is theatre that goes behind the mirror of our time to reveal the core of the collective human experience of being alive.
Beyond Caring: "This desolate, quietly intense devised drama gets under your skin and into your bones... unforgettable." (The Times)
LOVE: "Gripping, amusing, uncomfortable, desperately moving. Zeldin shows us friction.but also kindness and dignity and lots of love without turning sugary." (The Times)
Faith, Hope and Charity: "This is that rare thing: a necessary play that suggests Zeldin has taken on the role of the Victorian Henry Mayhew in compassionately documenting the lives of the urban poor." (The Guardian)
About the author
At university, Alexander Zeldin created a production of Calderon de La Barca's Constant Prince in Cairo, working with local musicians. After graduating, he began work at the Mariinsky Opera directing the Russian premiere of Powder her Face, as well as works by Puccini and Ravel. In 2010 he was selected to helm the European Theatre Company at the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia, collaborating again with artists from the Middle East on a production of Romeo and Juliet in Arabic and Italian. In 2011, he was invited to South Korea to direct Macbeth with Yi Youn Taek's Goripae Group (Korean Critics' Choice) and in January 2012, he created a new music and dance-theatre work, "Shemehé", for the British Council-National Theatre Studio-Rustaveli, National Theatre Georgia and Black Battles with Dogs at the Southwark Playhouse. In 2013, he assisted Peter Brook and Marie Helène Estienne on their revival of A Magic Flute. He has also collaborated with dancer Mélanie Lomoff on Code Unknown (Opera Estate/ Bassano Del Grappa, Mousonturm Frankfurt). Since 2011, Alexander Zeldin has formed an ensemble of actors in the UK. Their projects include Doing the Idiots (National Theatre Studio 2012 - a response to Lars Von Trier's film The Idiots), Shemehe and Beyond Caring (Yard Theatre, 2013). His work has been recognised by a nomination to the Rolex Mentor Protege Award in 2012, for the leading young artistic voices of the future.
Summary
‘He is a Chekhov of our time: holding his characters with as much humanity, compassion, humor and love - but without holding back his scathing indictment of deeply entrenched, systemic injustices and inequities.’ - David Schwimmer
The Inequalities combines three plays from British author and director Alexander Zeldin into a trilogy that tells new stories of love, compassion and resilience for our time of austerity.
Contextualised with an essay before each play and an in-depth interview with the author, Zeldin’s three pieces present intimate stories of work, home and community in a radical form of realism. Written after extensive research across the United Kingdom, and involving people affected by the central themes of the plays, The Inequalities goes beyond social chronicle, achieving a timeless portrait of humanity under duress. This is theatre that goes behind the mirror of our time to reveal the core of the collective human experience of being alive.
Beyond Caring: “This desolate, quietly intense devised drama gets under your skin and into your bones... unforgettable.” (The Times)
LOVE: "Gripping, amusing, uncomfortable, desperately moving. Zeldin shows us friction…but also kindness and dignity and lots of love without turning sugary." (The Times)
Faith, Hope and Charity: "This is that rare thing: a necessary play that suggests Zeldin has taken on the role of the Victorian Henry Mayhew in compassionately documenting the lives of the urban poor." (The Guardian)
Foreword
A critically-framed trilogy of Alexander Zeldin's capitalism-critical plays that portray the lives of real people on stage, along with an insight into the process and form of the artist at work.
Additional text
Gripping, amusing, uncomfortable, desperately moving. Zeldin shows us friction…but also kindness and dignity and lots of love without turning sugary
