The Public Theater presents
in association with NYU Skirball Center
The Tricycle Theatre Company’s production of
THE GREAT GAME: AFGHANISTAN
Directed by Nicolas Kent, Indhu Rubasingham
Supported by the British Council
Through the eyes of twelve leading British and American playwrights and the voices of those actively involved in the war and on U.S. and NATO policy in Afghanistan, The Tricycle Theatre Company’s The Great Game: Afghanistan explores, in three separate thrilling and provocative evenings, the culture and history of Afghanistan since Western involvement in 1842 to the present day.
PART 1:
Invasions & Independence, 1842-1930
PART 2:
Communism, The Mujahideen & The Taliban, 1979-1996
PART 3:
Enduring Freedom, 1996-2010
Parts 1, 2, and 3 can be seen separately and do not need to be experienced in chronological order. Trilogy days presenting each of the three parts will be held on weekends.
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PART 1:
Invasions & Independence, 1842-1930
BUGLES AT THE GATES OF JALALABAD by Stephen Jeffreys
In January 1842 a contingent of British soldiers, 16,000 strong, retreated from Kabul. Only a few stragglers were left alive in the British Army’s worst defeat in history. The General’s wife, Lady Sale, documents the battles in the Hindu Kush; whilst four buglers sound the advance at the gates of Jalalabad as a signal to any survivors.
DURAND’S LINE by Ron Hutchinson
Amir Abdul Rahman has kept the Indian Foreign Secretary, Sir Mortimer Durand, cooped up in Kabul for weeks. Sir Mortimer is desperate to negotiate the division of Waziristan to avenge the humiliation of his father’s name. Rahman fights to protect his country’s borders from Imperialist map-making.
CAMPAIGN by Amit Gupta
James Kite, 'Special Adviser' to the Foreign Secretary, needs to find a new approach to policy in Afghanistan. He summons the expert, Professor Khan, to advise on the potential success of a 'supplementary plan', conceived by the civil service but ignored by the previous administration. While Kite is certain that history can repeat itself, Khan is far from convinced that it will.
NOW IS THE TIME by Joy Wilkinson
King Amanullah, his wife Soraya and his father-in-law Tarzi are fleeing the capital. Their car is marooned in the snow, while Pashtun tribes and Tajik forces march towards Kabul. Will the Soviet Union help? Will the British interfere?
For more on The Great Game: Afghanistan visit thegreatgameonstage.org
Photos by John Haynes. On left, Durand's Line by Ron Hutchinson. Pictured, Rick Warden. On right, Durand's Line by Ron Hutchinson. Pictured, Michael Cochrane and Rick Warden.
