World Premiere
About Leo
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL OAKLEY.
29 September 2018
Overview
“I have never, in my life, for one moment, been anyone’s muse.”
Eliza Prentice – millennial, Londoner, wannabe journalist – has arrived in Mexico City on the Day of the Dead. She is armed with a Dictaphone, a taste for tequila, and a lot of questions. But the greatest living Mexican artist, Leonora Carrington, doesn’t give interviews. She won’t discuss her work. And she doesn’t talk about Max.
Alice Allemano’s entrancing first play moves fluidly from modern Mexico to 1930s France, where the young Leo is involved in a notorious affair with the surrealist Max Ernst. An inspirational true story of art and freedom.
JMK Award-winning director Michael Oakley recently directed The Invisible (Bush Theatre) and The Life and Times of Fanny Hill (Bristol Old Vic).
Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) was an English-born Mexican artist and writer. She lived with Max Ernst, the leading surrealist artist of the time, in France in the 1930s. Her work has been exhibited at galleries all over the world, and major retrospectives have been held recently at Tate Liverpool and Pallant House, Chichester.
People
Younger Leonora Carrington
Older Leonora Carrington
Max Ernst
Eliza Prentice
Playwright
Director
Assistant director
Set design
Costume design
Lighting design
Sound design
Movement direction
Media
“Sensational ... Exquisite ... This gem of a play is as beautiful as it is profound.”
“A visually engaging reflection on life, love, and art.”
“Allemano is a new voice that I hope we hear loud and often.”
“With deft direction from Michael Oakley, Allemano's play is superbly interpreted by a strong cast.”
“A well-written, involving, witty piece of drama... 90 minutes well spent!”
“A terrific concept.”