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The Hour of the Lynx

Written by Per Olov Enquist
Directed by Steve Hennessy

27 Sep 2005
Barrow Hospital

28 Sep 2005 to 29 Sep 2005
Rondo Theatre, Bath

30 Sep 2005 to 01 Oct 2005
Hope Centre, Bristol

04 Oct 2005 to 22 Oct 2005
The Old Red Lion Theatre, London

In a new departure for the group, our production of 'The Hour of the Lynx' was rehearsed entirely inside Barrow Gurney Psychiatric Hospital and Petherton Mental Health Resource Centre. The actors mixed with staff and patients over a two week period and also visited a secure unit of the type depicted in the play. This process culimated in a performance inside the Hospital for staff and patients on Tuesday September 27th 2005 which was a moving and powerful experience. We would like to extend a special thanks to all those who showed us such hospitality at these venues, and in particular for the help of Ross Hughes and Rosalind Moreno - Parra.

After a highly successful first week where it played to almost 300 people at Barrow Hospital, The Hope Centre in Bristol and the Rondo in Bath, 'The Hour of the Lynx' then transferred to the 'Old Red Lion' in Islington where it ran until Oct. 22nd 2005. The play was seen by over 400 people in London. Audience feedback has been some of the best ever received for a production by the Company.

In addition to backing from South West Arts, this production also received financial support from the Swedish Embassy and the Anglo - Swedish Literary Foundation. The ASLF was set up by George Bernard Shaw using money from his Nobel Prize for Literature.

We are grateful to Johanna Garpe, Counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of Sweden for her advice and support with our applications for financial assistance for this production.

A video / DVD of this production in a special souvenir case is available from Stepping Out Theatre Company priced at £10 (includes package and posting).

Cast

The Boy - Seb Steiger
The Psychologist (Lisbeth) - Rebecca Adamson
The Pastor - Ros Liddiard

Crew

Director / Producer - Steve Hennessy
Assistant Director - David Carter
Design - Colin Williams
Graphic Design - Ann Stiddard
Lighting Design and Operation - Andrew Williams
Costumes - Penn O'Gara
Sound - Hoxa
Photography - Alan Moore

Reviews

" . . Sebastian Steiger gives a strong, beautifully-modulated performance as The Boy, incarcerated in a secure psychiatric unit for a double murder. The Pastor is sympathetically played by Ros Liddiard. A direct, engaging production of a haunting piece."
 Susan Irvine, The Sunday Telegraph

"A fascinating troubling play, The Hour of the Lynx deserves a wider audience, and a larger venue than a room above a pub."
 Vera Liber, Plays International

"Director Steve Hennessy has himself worked in the field of mental illness and written several successful plays on that theme; and the cast rehearsed, and gave the first performance of, this production inside Barrow Gurney Psychiatric Hospital. The result is one of the most poignant and sensitive depictions of a mind in turmoil that you are at present likely to see in the theatre."
 Chris Jackson, The Irish Post

"When visiting the Rondo . . the brain usually has to be engaged, and the intellect challenged. But even by normal Rondo rules of engagement, last night was different"
 Philip Horton, The Bath Chronicle