Media Release - July 6, 2010
WILLIAM ZAPPA’S
WINTER’S DISCONTENT
Presented by William Zappa in partnership with
Darlinghurst Theatre Company
10 – 22 August
“In this great show, William Zappa celebrates the transformative power of
theatre and its layers” The Australian
Winter’s Discontent, the compelling solo work by acclaimed actor William
Zappa is being presented at the Darlinghurst Theatre, Sydney in August
10—22, following seasons in Canberra, Byron Bay and Parramatta.
As aging actor Robert Winter (Zappa) sits backstage on an interminable tour
of the one man show, Eleven Episodes from the Torture, Trial and Execution
of Monsieur Thénardier, he reflects on art and artifice, deceit and
disenchantment, struggling to live up to his creed, ‘the show must go on’. The
line between play-acting and reality blurs in the work.
In this tour-de-force from one of Australia’s finest actors, William Zappa
creates a portrait of an artist disillusioned with the artifice he is forced to live
by. Deceived by the promise of his art, Winter struggles to cover his
discontent with the actor’s mask - a mask which is ultimately revealed and
reflected by the audience. With a command of language and stage craft that is
astonishing, Zappa celebrates “the craft and […] the struggles of an actor’s
life with all its ups and downs”, exposing the actor’s joy and despair, and the
demons and the tragedy of his hero’s life.
While I was waiting to go on stage for my last scene I started slowly
changing expressions while looking in the mirror and listening to the
music of the show coming through the dressing room loud speaker"
said Zappa. "I was very excited by the simplicity and theatricality of what
I was seeing. I thought I must put that in a play."
William Zappa is one of Australia’s finest actors, best known for his award-
winning work with Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company and
Ensemble Theatre. After training at London’s Central School of Speech and
Drama, Zappa’s career has crossed continents and spanned more than three
decades of elite performances in film, television, and theatre. He played
thirteen different characters in The Government Inspector, winning a Green
Room Award for Best Actor, and has twice received major awards for his
portrayal of Thénardier, the Inn Keeper in Les Misérables who inspired him to
write Winter’s Discontent.
Writer/Performer: William Zappa
Director : Maeloisa Stafford
Performer : Jeanette Cronin
Duration : 1hr 15mins, no interval
Preview : 10 August 8pm
Opening Night : 11 August 8pm
Playing : 12 – 22 August
Post-show Discussion with Jonathan Biggins 12 August 9.30pm
Tues – Sat 8pm 8pm
Sun 5pm
Matinee Sat 14 & 21 August 4pm
Matinee 18 August 2pm
Darlinghurst Theatre
19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point
Ph 9331 3107
darlinghursttheatre.com.au
Media Enquiries: The Lantern Group / Niki White
P: (02) 9383 4038 M: 0403 176988 / niki@lanterngroup.com.au
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