JUDITH

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Catherine Cusack starred in this powerful one-act play reimagining the apocryphal legend of Judith. Following a ★★★★ "exhilarating & provoking” (The Stage) 4-week run as part of REND Productions' Howard Barker Double Bill in 2015, Judith returned to Arcola for a week before going on a small-scale national tour to venues including the Sherling Studio at Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts, and the Mercury, Colchester.

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The city under siege, the night before the battle that will see this country fall. A beautiful widow, Judith, infiltrates the enemy camp with her comically back-chatting Servant, with the intention of seducing and killing the army general, Holofernes, to save her country from destruction. But nothing is as it seems, and soon we become entangled in a gripping double-seduction: a web of truth and lies between a man who has chosen murder, and a woman who has chosen love, culminating in the transformation of Judith into the very thing she has set out to destroy... 

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★★★★ 

"At just 55 minutes, Howard Barker's Judith is a stark, brutal piece of stage poetry from the pen of a writer who is shockingly under-performed." Whats On Stage

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★★★★ 

"Strong directing and an exceptional cast bring this story alive with vivacity and poignancy." The Upcoming

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★★★★

"Left me with thoughts racing for hours after the performance ended. A rewarding and challenging evening” Plays To See

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★★★★

“Exhilarating and provoking. An insightful, innovative staging that breathes humanity and humour into a play by one of the UK’s most uncompromising writers” The Stage

 

★★★★ 

”An astonishing experience. Talented actors, a beautiful stage production. An exhilarating theatrical gem” 

The Upcoming

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Presented by: REND Productions & Lighthouse, Poole

Writer: Howard Barker

Director & Original Designer: Robyn Winfield-Smith

Associate Designer: Sarah Booth

Lighting Designer: Christopher Nairne

Composer & Sound Designer: Nick J Jones

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Judith: Catherine Cusack

The Servant: Kristin Hutchinson

Holofernes: Liam Smith

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General Manager: Alexandra Da Silva (on behalf of David Adkin Ltd)

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Special thanks to Pádraig Cusack, Ros and Alan Haigh, and to Live-In Guardians, who generously supported this production.