MEDIA RELEASE
Tom Stoppard in Conversation
Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall, Saturday 17 December 3pm, 2011
Discover the real Tom Stoppard at Sydney Opera House. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet a man that has helped shape the world of modern theatre. Join what will be a fascinating conversation where ‘his story’ will be discovered, and you, the audience can ask the questions.
Tom Stoppard is considered a giant of modern playwriting and is one of the most internationally performed dramatists of his generation. He’s written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage and his works include such masterpieces as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Arcadia and the screenplays for Brazil and the Academy-Award winning Shakespeare in Love. He has won four Tony Awards.
For the past thirty-five years Stoppard’s plays have been greeted with both critical and popular acclaim. Many have won "Best Play" awards, and most are frequently revived around the world. Stoppard has been a key playwright of the National Theatre (UK).
Stoppard has said he writes plays because dialogue is the only respectable way he can contradict himself. Indeed, his works feature great juxtapositions of – and collisions between – different worlds. And while his astonishing dramatic inventions and word-brilliance make all the headlines; the real passion in Stoppard’s plays are his themes of freedom and love. Stoppard uses his work to address human rights, censorship and political freedom. He’s also renowned for his explorations of linguistics and philosophy.
In 1939, not quite two-years-old; Stoppard left Czechoslovakia for Singapore as a child refugee, fleeing imminent Nazi occupation. Stoppard’s father was a doctor and died in capture after the Japanese invasion of Singapore. His mother and the two boys had been sent to Australia before the invasion. They were then evacuated to India in 1941 and lived in Darjeeling until his mother re-married (to a British army major) and the family settled in Britain in 1946. After being educated at schools in Nottingham and Yorkshire, Stoppard left school and became a journalist at 17; then a drama critic and, in 1960, a playwright.
Details:
What: Tom Stoppard in Conversation
When: Saturday 17 December 3pm; 75 minutes with no interval
Where: Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall
Tickets: $35 sydneyoperahouse.com / 9250 7777
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Alexandra Barlow / abarlow@sydneyoperahouse.com / 02 9250 7825 / 0412 085 032