Bloody Poetry
Howard Brenton
Howard Brenton
Content warning [May contain spoilers]
“What, you think philosophy, you think poetry harmless, sir? Sir, it can maim, it can mutilate, blinded for centuries, it can kill.”
A dark summer, 1816, on the stormy shores of Lake Geneva, a utopia is born. This utopia is one built on free love, on unfettered immorality, on shadowy philosophies built to encase reality, to shield from the consequences of any misdeeds.
Here, in this thundery paradise, shelter the radical poets Bysshe and Byron, accompanied by their respective mistresses, Mary and Claire, and the frustrated physician, Polidori, who joins to shadow his sometime lover and document this sundry menagerie of Shelley’s devotees.
But no paradise can last forever, and a storm is coming.
Upon an inevitable return to England, Bysshe is met with the full weight of what this utopia has cost, and must now learn to reckon with the answer of how far the suffering of others can truly be justified by genius.
This production is suitable for ages 16 and over.
This amateur production of “Bloody Poetry” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
Depictions of:
self-harm and/or other intentional self-injury, death and/or dying, pregnancy and/or childbirth, mental illness, flashing images (i.e. a seizure warning)
References to:
self-harm and/or other intentional self-injury, death and/or dying, pregnancy and/or childbirth, miscarriages and/or abortion, mental illness, flashing images (i.e. a seizure warning)
Mentions of:
incest
The ADC Theatre is Britain's oldest University playhouse, today administered and maintained by the University of Cambridge. Plays have been presented on the site since 1855, when the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club (CUADC) was founded, and the society met and performed in the back room of the Hoop Inn, which stood almost exactly where the ADC Theatre stands today. Today, the ADC Theatre is the centre of University drama in Cambridge, run almost entirely by students with no Faculty involvement.
Access
When you arrive at the ADC Theatre, there are power assisted doors to the Box Office. In the foyer there is a lift which leads up to the bar and auditorium. The accessible toilet is located on the ground floor across the foyer. Further information can be found here.
If you are booking a wheelchair seat in the ADC auditorium for the first time, please call the Box Office on 01223 300085 or email access@adctheatre.com. We will then alter the permissions of your ADC account so that you can access the wheelchair seats on our website when you book in the future.
Complimentary tickets are available for full-time carers.
The ADC Theatre and Corpus Playroom is fitted with an infra-red audio system designed to help deaf and hard of hearing patrons. If you are using the system for the first time, please arrive early and seek advice from our Front of House team.
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The Park Street car park, which is typically used by customers of the ADC Theatre, is closed until August 2024. We recommend that you park in the Grand Arcade car park (10 minute walk) or the Castle Hill car park (15 minute walk). Parking in City Council car parks is free after 6pm. You can find out more information here.