Poster advertising The Chairs, performed by Théatre de Complicité, Oxford Playhouse, 11-15 November 1997.

Poster printed in blue and yellow featuring a colour photograph by Jacques Henri Lartigue of an elderly woman jumping, advertising Theatre de Complicite's touring production of The Chairs at the Oxford Playhouse, 11-15 November 1997. Lettering at the top right of the poster gives the name of the company and the logo of the Royal Court Theatre, with the title of the play and details of the production team below the image to the left. The logo of the Oxford Playhouse is bottom left, with that of the London Arts Board and a note that the production was funded by the Arts Council of England, bottom right.

Given by Complicite

Poster produced to advertise The Chairs, Oxford Playhouse, 11-15 November 1997, a Theatre de Complicite and Royal Court Theatre production of the play by Eugène Ionesco translated by Martin Crimp. Directed by Simon McBurney; designed by Quay Brothers; lighting by Paul Anderson; sound by Paul Arditti . The Company comprised Richard Briars, Geraldine McEwan and Mick Barnfather. The poster features a logo showing that the production was a funded by the Arts Council of Great Britain. The performances at the Oxford Playhouse were part of the 1997 tour of the production which opened at the Theatre Royal Bath, 22-25 October, and as well as Oxford went to the Gardner Arts Centre, Brighton, 28 October - 1 November; Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersford, 5-8 November, and The Royal Court Theatre Downstairs (Duke of York's) 19 November - 20 December 1997.

Historical significance: This production opened at the Theatre Royal, Bath, 22 October 1997. It was part of the Royal Court's French Theatre Season when it opened in November 1997 at the Royal Court's temporary home, the Duke of York's. This was the first major production of the play in England since its premiere at The Royal Court in 1958. Eugene Ionesco (1912-1994), Romanian by birth, studied at The University of Bucharest but lived in France from 1939. He wrote his first play, The Bald Prima Donna (La Cantatrice Chauve), in 1948 and The Chairs (Les Chaises) in 1951.

S.122-2000