For its first production this season, Unifaun Theatre Productions is staging the 2002 play A Number by English playwright Caryl Churchill.
This play addresses the subject of human cloning and identity, especially nature versus nurture
Churchill started off her career writing radio dramas and TV plays for the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1972, she wrote Owners, a play in two acts which was produced in London during the same year. She served as resident dramatist at the Royal Court Theatre from 1974 to 1975. Her first play to receive wide notice was called Cloud Nine; it won an Obie Award for best play of the year.
As time passed by, Churchill’s work began to manifest her feminist themes more and more.
She won another Obie Award for best play with her iconic 1982 play Top Girls (1982) which has an all-female cast, and features Marlene, who has sacrificed a home and family life to achieve success in her chosen career.
Churchill continued to push boundaries in the 1990s, particularly with a choreographed opera called Hotel, created in collaboration with composer Orlando Gough.
Her 2002 play A Number (the adapted screenplay of which was as shown on BBC TV in September 2008) addresses the subject of human cloning. It was written around the time that Dolly, the cloned sheep, was still in the news. The original production was held at the Royal Court Theatre and directed by Stephen Daldry. It featured Michael Gambon and Daniel Craig.
A Number is set in the near future and is structured around the conflict between a father (called Salter – played by John Suda in the local production) and his sons (Bernard 1, Bernard 2 and Michael Black – all played by Mikhail Basdmadjian), two of whom are clones of the first.
Churchill asks: how would you feel if you found out that you were simply a clone, or worse, not a unique person at all, but one of many – in other words, just a number?
Unifaun founder and producer Adrian Buckle says that he chose this play because it is a very relevant piece of work in today’s world… and in today’s Malta in particular:
“This play addresses the subject of human cloning and identity, especially nature versus nurture. Today in Malta we are discussing IVF and genetics, so this play is very topical,” he says.
Buckle says that it is an honour for him to introduce Maltese audiences to the works of this great playwright. Besides, he adds, working with Chris Gatt as director, with seasoned actors Basmadjian and Suda in the cast, is a privilege in itself.
The road to this production was a rather rocky one. Initially Buckle had another play in mind. However, due to circumstances beyond his control, the play in question had to be postponed to a future date.
With a slightly shorter rehearsal period than is usual, he and Gatt agreed that a two-hander was their best bet.
And so the decision was taken to produce A Number.
With the collective efforts of the production’s director and cast members, Buckle says that he has no doubt that A Number will continue to cement Unifaun Theatre’s reputation for producing the hard-hitting, topical plays its audiences have come to expect from the company.
A Number is being staged at St James Cavalier on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and October 26-28. Tickets may be obtained by phone on 2122 3216, by e-mail: boxoffice@sjcav.org, or online: www.sjcav.org.