Strindberg to be honoured at 2011 playwright fest

Posted: 1:00 AM CST Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010

AUGUST Strindberg, the Swedish dramatist who had a great influence on the development of modern theatre, will be the subject of the 2011 Master Playwright Festival, Manitoba Theatre Centre has announced.

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This article was published 11/02/2010 (6041 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Strindberg, who lived from 1849 to 1912, wrote more than 50 plays. He is best known for Miss Julie. His other famous works include The Father, The Dance of Death, A Dream Play and The Ghost Sonata.

ChurchillFest, this year’s 10th annual Master Playwright Festival, racked up paid attendance of 9,613 during its run from Jan. 21 to Feb. 7, MTC said.

That made British playwright Caryl Churchill — the first woman honoured at the festival — the second-lowest-drawing writer in its history. Only Eugene O’Neill has proven less popular. His works drew 8,584 ticket buyers in 2006.

ChurchillFest suffered a significant attendance drop compared to last year, when Arthur Miller’s more accessible works drew more than 11,000 paid viewers.

Nonetheless, executive producer Chuck McEwen declared the event a success in a news release. He said Churchill’s works, which are often political and experimental, got people talking.

“Her challenging and entertaining work proved, once again, to be a great opportunity for theatre lovers to immerse themselves in the work of a playwright who pushes the boundaries of theatre,” he said.

Previous editions of the festival have focused on playwrights including Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Edward Albee, Michel Tremblay, Tom Stoppard and David Mamet.