''Scenes from an Execution'' is a play by the English playwright

Howard Barker Howard Barker (born 28 June 1946) is a British playwright, screenwriter and writer of radio drama, painter, poet, and essayist, writing predominantly on playwriting and the theatre. The author of an extensive body of dramatic works since the ...

. The plot revolves around a female artist's struggles against the Venetian city-state in the aftermath of the 16th century

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval warfare, naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League (1571), Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of t ...

. Although the city commissions the painting to celebrate the victory over the Turks, the artist's vision differs dramatically from that of the

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and the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The play has been described as "Barker's most famous and accessible play".Maddy Cost
"Howard Barker: 'I don't care if you listen or not'"
''The Guardian'', 1 October 2012 Originally a radio play for the BBC in 1984 with

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (9 May 1936 – 15 June 2023) was an English actress and politician. Over the course of her distinguished career she received List of awards and nominations received by Glenda Jackson, numerous accolades including two Academy ...

in the role of the artist Galactia,Michael Billingto
"Scenes from an Execution – review"
''The Guardian'', 5 October 2013 the stage version was first performed in 1990 at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

in London with Glenda Jackson reprising her role. The play was later revived in 2012 by the National Theatre on its Lyttelton stage with

Fiona Shaw Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She did extensive work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, as well as in film and television. In 2020, she was listed at No. 29 o ...

and

Tim McInnerny Timothy L. McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is a British actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Kevin Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''. Early life McInner ...

starring in this production. Barker himself has turned against the play. "It's a very easy play to like", he said in 1999, and believed in 2012 that some of his other plays are superior works.

Productions

A fringe production was staged in 2007 at the

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "the most beautiful theat ...

. The play opened

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the Potomac Theatre Project in July 2008, directed by Richard Romagnoli and starring

Jan Maxwell Janice Elaine Maxwell (November 20, 1956 – February 11, 2018) was an American stage and television actress. She was a five-time Tony Award nominee and two-time Drama Desk Award winner. In a career spanning over thirty years, Maxwell was one ...

as Galactia. Maxwell was nominated for the

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

, Outstanding Actress in a Play.Gans, Andrew
"Ruined and Billy Elliot Win Top Honors at Drama Desk Awards"
playbill.com, May 17, 2009 The play was revived in 2012 by National Theatre and performed on the Lyttelton stage. In his review of the National Theatre production, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' critic Michael Billington wrote: "it shows Barker's poetic talent at its most disciplined and has the feel of a contemporary classic."

References

{{Howard Barker plays 1984 radio dramas 1990 plays English plays