ADA – Andrea Levy’s Orange Prize-winning novel Small Island comes to life in an epic new theatre adaptation that will be presented by ECU Screens at 2 p.m. Wednesday, February 12, at the Raymond Estep Multimedia Center.
The recorded live production, presented by ECU SCREENS, is open to the public and tickets are $10 for community members. Tickets for ECU students are $5.
“Small Island” takes audiences on a journey from Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948 – the year the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury. The drama traces the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK through three intricately connected stories: Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica; Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer; and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality in this timely and moving drama that features a company of 40 actors on the stage of London’s National Theatre. Director Rufus Norris leads an “effortlessly enjoyable production” that “speaks to all of us, today” (Metro). The “resonant, funny and moving” production (Daily Telegraph) is “one of the most important plays of the year” (Guardian), starring Leah Harvey, Gershwyn Eustace Jr., Aisling Loftus and C.J. Beckford.
National Theatre Live is a groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world. “Small Island” has a runtime of 170 minutes, which includes a 20-minute interval. The production contains strobe-like effects and, as part of depicting the experience of Jamaican immigrants to Britain after the Second World War, at times characters in the play use language which is racially offensive. The production has a BBFC rating of “As Live 15,” which is roughly analogous to an “R” rating from the MPAA.
Following this performance, ECU SCREENS will host ECU’s 10th annual Foreign Film Festival. The festival launches at 4 p.m. Friday, February 14, with a screening of the French romantic comedy “Return of the Hero” (“Le Retour du Hero”), a delightful screwball farce set in France during the Napoleonic era.
Prior to the screening, the public is invited to attend an event titled “Ask Me About the World,” featuring international ECU students and faculty who will be sharing stories and answering questions about their home countries including India, Nepal, Ghana, South Korea and the Bahamas. “Ask Me About the World” also features foods, music and books that students have chosen to represent their home countries.
The Foreign Film Festival will continue with the Russian-language film “Rezo” at 4 p.m. on Friday, February 21, and will conclude at 4 p.m. Friday, February 28, with the Spanish-language film “Pain and Glory” (“Dolor y Gloria”). All Foreign Film Festival events are free and open to the public, and door prizes will be given away after each screening.
To learn more about ECU SCREENS, like the ECU SCREENS Facebook page. For more information about the National Theatre in Great Britain and the National Theatre Live screenings, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/.
Dr. Steve Benton, co-director of ECU SCREENS, may be contacted at (580) 559-5877 or sbenton@ecok.edu.
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