The Dying of Today
Encyclopedia
The Dying of Today is a play by British playwright
Howard Barker
. The play received its world premiere at London's Arcola Theatre
in 2008, directed by Gerrard McArthur and performed by George Irving and Duncan Bell.
' account of the destruction of the Sicilian expedition in 413BC, which saw the Athenian army
and navy
suffering a heavy defeat. The play investigates the bringing home of such news of military defeat, and is set in a barber shop, where a survivor of the battle brings to the news to a - at first - silent barber.
praised the production's performances and 'interesting ideas.' Natasha Tripney in trade publication The Stage
wrote that 'there is something hypnotic about these two men talking as the streets outside fill with wails of the bereaved' but also noted 'the play as a whole lacks emotional weight and feels distant, surface-skimming.'
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Howard Barker
Howard Barker
Howard E. Barker is a British playwright.-The Theatre of Catastrophe :Barker has coined the term "Theatre of Catastrophe" to describe his work...
. The play received its world premiere at London's Arcola Theatre
Arcola Theatre
Arcola Theatre is a studio theatre in Dalston, in the London Borough of Hackney. The theatre's ambition is to create and present high-quality theatre with a social and political relevance to its multicultural local community as well as a wider audience....
in 2008, directed by Gerrard McArthur and performed by George Irving and Duncan Bell.
Synopsis
The play is loosely based on ThucydidesThucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
' account of the destruction of the Sicilian expedition in 413BC, which saw the Athenian army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
and navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
suffering a heavy defeat. The play investigates the bringing home of such news of military defeat, and is set in a barber shop, where a survivor of the battle brings to the news to a - at first - silent barber.
Critical reception
Reviewer Dominic Cavendish of The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
praised the production's performances and 'interesting ideas.' Natasha Tripney in trade publication The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
wrote that 'there is something hypnotic about these two men talking as the streets outside fill with wails of the bereaved' but also noted 'the play as a whole lacks emotional weight and feels distant, surface-skimming.'