''Solaris'' is a 2019

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

based on the 1961 novel of the same name by

Stanisław Lem Stanisław Herman Lem (; 12 September 1921 – 27 March 2006) was a Polish writer. He was the author of many novels, short stories, and essays on various subjects, including philosophy, futurology, and literary criticism. Many of his science fi ...

, adapted for the stage by David Greig. Its notable feature is different gender of the protagonist, as well as gender-balanced spaceship crew, combating the science fiction male-dominated cliche.

Production history

''Solaris'' has been adapted for the stage by Scottish

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

David Greig, based on the 1961 novel of the same name by

. The play is directed by

Matthew Lutton Matthew Lutton is an Australian theatre and opera director. He was associate director of the Black Swan Theatre Company in 2006. He was the founder and director of ThinIce theatre company (2002–2012) in Perth, Western Australia. Moving to Melb ...

, with lighting design by Paul Jackson. For the production the gender of Dr Kris Kelvin was changed from male to female, with Greig stating that he was ''modernising the characters'' and that they ''could be any gender or background.'' On 3 September 2018, it was announced the play would receive its world premiere the following year and would begin previews at the

Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD. ...

on 28 June 2019, with an official opening night on 3 July. Following the run at the Malthouse Theatre (June 28-July 21, 2019), the play was transferred to the

Royal Lyceum Theatre The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

(September 12-October 5, 2019),

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

with whom it is a co-production. On 27 February 2022, the play received its

North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

premiere production at Raven Theatre in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. On 3 February 2023, a Romanian language adaptation (by Andrei Dósa) of the play premiered in Bucharest at the Excelsior Theater, under the direction of Bobi Pricop. On 1 September 2023, a Finnish language adaptation (by Aleksi Milonoff) of the play premiered in the Turku City Theatre.

References

{{Lem 2019 plays Plays based on novels Science fiction theatre Adaptations of works by Stanisław Lem Solaris

Production history

See also

References