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Rock'n Roll (play)
''Rock 'n' Roll'' is a play by British playwright Tom Stoppard that premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2006. Plot summary The play is concerned with the significance of rock and roll in the emergence of the socialist movement in Eastern-Bloc Czechoslovakia between the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Taking place in Cambridge, England and in Prague, the play contrasts the attitudes of a young Czech PhD student and rock music fan, who becomes appalled by the repressive regime in his home country, with those of his British Marxist professor, who unrepentantly continues to believe in the Soviet ideal. The play takes place over several decades, from the late 1960s until 1990, ending with a concert given by the Rolling Stones that year in Prague. Recurrent references are made to a glimpse by one of the main characters of the young Syd Barrett performing ''Golden Hair''. Barrett's physical and mental decline also plays a role in the drama (Barr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and political freedom, often delving into the deeper philosophical bases of society. Stoppard has been a playwright of the Royal National Theatre, National Theatre and is one of the most internationally performed dramatists of his generation. He was Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, knighted for his contribution to theatre by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997. Born in First Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovakia, Stoppard left as a child refugee, fleeing German occupation of Czechoslovakia, imminent Nazi occupation. He settled with his family in Britain after the war, in 1946, having spent the previous three years (1943–1946) in a boarding school in Darjeeling in the Indian Himalayas. After being educated at schools in Nottingham and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samizdat
Samizdat (, , ) was a form of dissident activity across the Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the documents from reader to reader. The practice of manual reproduction was widespread, because printed texts could be traced back to the source. This was a grassroots practice used to evade official Soviet censorship. Name origin and variations Etymologically, the word ''samizdat'' derives from ''sam'' ( 'self, by oneself') and ''izdat'' (, an abbreviation of , 'publishing house'), and thus means 'self-published'. Ukrainian has a similar term: ''samvydav'' (самвидав), from ''sam'' 'self' and ''vydavnytstvo'' 'publishing house'. The Russian poet Nikolay Glazkov coined a version of the term as a pun in the 1940s when he typed copies of his poems and included the note ''Samsebyaizdat'' (Самсебяиздат, "Myself by Myself Publishers") on the front page. ''Tamizdat'' refers to lit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alice Eve
Alice Sophia Eve (born 6 February 1982) is a British and American actress. The daughter of actors Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan, she began her career with supporting roles in the films '' Hawking'' and '' Stage Beauty'' (both 2004). Her other credits include '' Starter for 10'' (2006), '' She's Out of My League'' (2010), ''Men in Black 3'' (2012), ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' (2013), '' Before We Go'' (2014), ''Please Stand By'' (2017), ''Replicas'' (2018), and '' Bombshell'' (2019). On television, she has had recurring roles on HBO's '' Entourage'' (2011), Marvel's '' Iron Fist'' (2018), and Amazon Prime's '' The Power'' (2023). Early life Eve was born on 6 February 1982 in London, the daughter of actors Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan. She is of English, Irish and Welsh descent. She went to Bedales School and More House School, then took her A-levels at Westminster School in London. During her gap year, she studied at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and then read English at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Sullivan (actor)
Peter Sullivan (born 26 July 1964) is an English film and television actor. Life and career Sullivan was born in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. In 1982, he joined the National Youth Theatre, where he played Edmond in ''King Lear'', and then joined the Old Vic Youth Theatre playing the title role in ''Macbeth''. He studied at Central School of Speech and Drama from 1983 to 1986 and then in New York under Uta Hagen at HB Studio. In 1988 he joined the Catalan performance group La Fura dels Baus and toured the world with them in their trilogy of spectacles ''Accions'', ''Suz/O/Suz'' and ''Tier Mon''. In 1990 he was asked by Deborah Warner to join the National Theatre in London to tour ''King Lear'' and ''Richard III'', directed by Richard Eyre, staying on to play in ''Napoli Millionaria'' as part of the Lyttelton Theatre company. He also worked extensively at the National Theatre Studio with Simon Usher and there formed The Actors' Group. He left the National to work with David F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthony Calf
Anthony Calf (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He had recurring roles in the television medical drama ''Holby City'', as Michael Beauchamp, and ''New Tricks'' as DAC Robert Strickland. He has also worked in theatre, where his credits include productions of '' The Madness of George III'' with the National Theatre and ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', ''The false servant'' at the National Theatre and ''Rock'n Roll'' at the Duke of York's Theatre. He was nominated as best actor in the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2008 for his work in ''Uncle Vanya'' at the Gate Theatre. He was featured in ''King Charles III'' on Broadway in 2015. Career He made his television debut in the 1982 ''Doctor Who'' episode '' The Visitation'', he returned to the series 35 years later in the 2017 episode " Empress of Mars". Also in 1982, he landed the role of Digby Geste in a television adaptation of ''Beau Geste''. His other te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinéad Cusack
Sinéad Moira Cusack ( ; born 18 February 1948) is an Irish actress. Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, before moving to London in 1969 to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has won the Critics' Circle and ''Evening Standard'' Awards for her performance in Sebastian Barry's ''Our Lady of Sligo''. Cusack has received two Tony Award nominations: once for Best Leading Actress in ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1985), and again for Best Featured Actress in ''Rock 'n' Roll'' (2008). She has also received five Olivier Award nominations for ''As You Like'' (1981), '' The Maid's Tragedy'' (also 1981), '' The Taming of the Shrew'' (1983), ''Our Lady of Sligo'' (1998) and ''Rock 'n' Roll'' (2007). In 2020, she was listed at number 25 on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors. Early life Cusack was born Jane Moira Cusack in Dalkey, County Dublin, the daughter of actress Maureen Cusack (born Mary Margaret Kiely) and actor Cyril Cusack. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Cox (actor)
Brian Denis Cox (born 1 June 1946) is a Scottish actor. A classically trained Shakespearean actor, he is known for his work on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include two Laurence Olivier Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as two nominations for a British Academy Television Award. In 2003, he was appointed to the Order of the British Empire at the rank of Commander. Cox trained at the Dundee Repertory Theatre before becoming a founding member of Royal Lyceum Theatre. He went on to train as a Shakespearean actor, starring in numerous productions with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he gained recognition for his portrayal of King Lear. Cox received two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Actor for his roles in '' Rat in the Skull'' (1984), for Royal Court and '' Titus Andronicus'' (1988). He received two more Olivier Award nominations for '' Misalliance'' (1986) and ''Fashion'' (1988). Known as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rufus Sewell
Rufus Frederik Sewell (; born 29 October 1967) is a British actor. In film, he has appeared in ''Carrington (film), Carrington'' (1995), ''Hamlet (1996 film), Hamlet'' (1996), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), ''Dark City (1998 film), Dark City'' (1998), ''A Knight's Tale'' (2001), ''The Legend of Zorro'' (2005), ''The Illusionist (2006 film), The Illusionist'' (2006), ''Amazing Grace (2006 film), Amazing Grace'' (2006), ''The Holiday'' (2006), ''The Tourist (2010 film), The Tourist'' (2010), ''Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' (2012), ''Judy (film), Judy'' (2019), ''The Father (2020 film), The Father'' (2020), and ''Old (film), Old'' (2021). On television, he has appeared in ''Middlemarch'' (1994), ''Arabian Nights (miniseries), Arabian Nights'' (2000), ''Charles II: The Power and the Passion'' (2003), ''John Adams (miniseries), John Adams'' (2008), ''Eleventh Hour (American TV series), Eleventh Hour'' (2008–2009), ''Zen (TV series), Zen'' (2011), ''The Pillars of the Earth (minis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is an English theatre director and lyricist. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has directed dramas for the stage, including ''Macbeth'', as well as opera and musicals, such as ''Cats'' (1981) and '' Les Misérables'' (1985). Nunn has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical, the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical, winning Tonys for ''Cats'', ''Les Misérables'', and '' Nicholas Nickleby'' and the Olivier Awards for productions of '' Summerfolk'', '' The Merchant of Venice'', '' Troilus and Cressida'', and ''Nicholas Nickleby''. In 2008, ''The Telegraph'' named Nunn among the most influential people in British culture. He has also directed works for film and television. Early years ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duke Of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by the architect Walter Emden, it opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, and was renamed Trafalgar Theatre in 1894. The following year, it became the Duke of York's to honour the future King George V. The theatre's opening show was comic opera ''The Wedding Eve'' by Frédéric Toulmouche. One of the earliest musical comedies, '' Go-Bang'', was a success at the theatre in 1894. In 1900, Jerome K. Jerome's ''Miss Hobbs'' was staged as well as David Belasco's '' Madame Butterfly'', which was seen by Puccini, who later turned it into the famous opera. This was also the theatre where J. M. Barrie's '' Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' debuted on 27 December 1904. Many famous British actors have appeared here, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Professional Foul
''Professional Foul'' is a television play written by Czech-born, British playwright Tom Stoppard. It was broadcast on 21 September 1977 in BBC 2's ''Play of the Week'' series. The play is set in Prague and follows the character of Professor Anderson, a Cambridge ethics don, on a weekend visit to a philosophical colloquium. What should be a fairly uneventful trip is complicated by the intervention of the Communist government, leading to an ethical dilemma for the professor of philosophy, a situation explored by Stoppard through the opinions of several characters. The play was written to coincide with Amnesty International's "Prisoners of Conscience Year" and is dedicated to Czech playwright Václav Havel, then periodically imprisoned by the Czech Communist authorities. Stoppard has cited Havel as an influence on his writing. In the year of publication and broadcast the Charter 77 movement in Czechoslovakia presented the government with a formal protest against its violatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (play)
''Every Good Boy Deserves Favour'' is a stage play by Tom Stoppard with music by André Previn. It was first performed in 1977. The play criticises the Soviet practice of treating political dissidence as a form of mental illness. Its title derives from the popular mnemonic used by music students to remember the notes on the lines of the treble clef. The cast comprises six actors, but also a full orchestra, which not only provides music throughout the play but also forms an essential part of the action. A chamber-orchestra version also exists. The play is dedicated to Viktor Fainberg and Vladimir Bukovsky, two Soviet dissidents expelled to the West. Plot The play concerns a dissident, Alexander Ivanov, who is imprisoned in a Soviet mental hospital, from which he will not be released until he admits that his statements against the government were caused by a (non-existent) mental disorder. In the hospital he shares a cell with a genuinely disturbed schizophrenic, also called Iv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
