To Damascus (Swedish: Till Damaskus), also known as The Road to Damascus, is a trilogy of plays by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg.[1] The first two parts were published in 1898, with the third following in 1904.[2] It has been described as "Strindberg's most complex play" and as "his greatest play," due to its "synthesis of a wide variety of myths, symbols and ideas with a profound spiritual analysis in a new dramatic form."[3]

Writing process

Strindberg began writing Part 1 in January 1898 in France and by 8 March he had completed the manuscript.[4] This marked the first time that Strindberg had written drama in five years.[4] "If you find it good," he wrote to Gustaf af Geijerstam, "chuck it in at the theatre. If you find it impossible, hide it away."[4] At this time, he considered the first part to be complete in itself; he did not originally intend to follow it with two sequels.[4] He began writing Part 2 during the summer of 1898 in Lund and had completed it by the middle of July.[5] The first two parts were published in a single volume in October 1898.[6] Strindberg arranged for a copy to be sent to Henrik Ibsen, describing him as "the Master, from whom he learned much."[7] Strindberg began to write Part 3 in January 1901.[8] It was published in April 1904.[9]

Analysis and criticism

The dramatic structure of the first part utilises a circular, palindromic form of the Medieval "station drama".[4][10] The protagonist, The Stranger, on his way to an asylum, passes through seven "stations"; having reached the asylum, he then returns to each in reverse order, before arriving at his starting-point on a street corner.[4] Peter Szondi describes this form as a type of subjective theatre in which the classical "unity of action" is replaced with a "unity of the self":

Production history

To Damascus received its première at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm on 19 November 1900, under the direction of Emil Grandinson.[14][15] August Palme played the Stranger and Harriet Bosse played the Lady.[16] The director hoped to utilise magic lanterns projected onto gauze as a means of tackling the many scene-changes that the play required, though he was forced to abandon the idea in the face of technical difficulties.[17] The production ran for twenty performances.[15]

August Falck directed a production of Part 1 at the Intimate Theatre in Stockholm, which opened on 18 November 1910.[18] The theatre closed soon after under mounting debts.[18] Another production was staged in Ystad in January 1912 as part of Strindberg's 63rd birthday celebrations.[19]

Part 1 received its British première at the Westminster Theatre in London, in a production by the Stage Society that opened on 2 May 1937.[20] It was directed by Carl H. Jaffé and starred Francis James and Wanda Rotha.[20]

All three parts were performed at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, in a production that opened on 3 April 1975.[20][21] It was directed by Michael Ockrent and David Gothard and starred Roy Marsden and Katherine Schofield.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Meyer (1991, 179).
  2. ↑ Meyer (1985, 385, 448).
  3. ↑ Ward (1980, 135, 171).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Meyer (1985, 374).
  5. ↑ Meyer (1985, 382).
  6. ↑ Meyer (1985, 385).
  7. ↑ Meyer (1985, 386).
  8. ↑ Meyer (1985, 415).
  9. ↑ Meyer (1985, 448).
  10. ↑ Szondi (1965, 25).
  11. ↑ Szondi (1965, 26).
  12. ↑ Szondi (1965, 26–7).
  13. ↑ Szondi (1965, 22).
  14. ↑ Meyer (1985), 409–10.
  15. 1 2 Meyer (1991b, 187).
  16. ↑ Meyer (1985, 404).
  17. ↑ Meyer (1985, 482).
  18. 1 2 Meyer (1985, 543–4).
  19. ↑ Meyer (1985), 560–1.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Meyer (1991b, 188).
  21. ↑ Meyer (1985), 383.

Sources

  • Meyer, Michael. 1985. Strindberg: A Biography. Oxford Lives ser. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1987. ISBN 0-19-281995-X.
  • ---, trans. 1991a. To Damascus (Part 1). In Plays: Three. By August Strindberg. London: Methuen. 189-276. ISBN 0-413-64840-0.
  • ---. 1991b. Introduction. In Plays: Three. By August Strindberg. London: Methuen. 179-188. ISBN 0-413-64840-0.
  • Szondi, Peter. 1965. Theory of the Modern Drama: A Critical Edition. Ed. and trans. Michael Hays. Theory and History of Literature ser. vol. 29. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1987. ISBN 0-8166-1285-4.
  • Ward, John. 1980. The Social and Religious Plays of Strindberg. London: Athlone. ISBN 0-485-11183-7.
  • Williams, Raymond. 1952. Drama from Ibsen to Brecht. London: Hogarth, 1993. ISBN 0-7012-0793-0.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Damascus