"ART"

“Marc: My friend Serge has bought a painting. It’s a canvas about five foot by four: white. The background is white and if you screw up your eyes, you can make out some fine diagonal lines. Serge is one of my oldest friends…”

Marc feels distressed when he discovers that his friend Serge has spent a ludicrous amount of money to buy the painting of a famous artist which is entirely white! Yvan, their mutual friend, fails to fix the dispute that has suddenly erupted between Marc and Serge. A bitter conflict ensues and their friendship may be at stake…

‘Art’ is a play about friendship, and more specifically what it takes to keep a true friendship alive over time.

The play: ‘Art’ is a phenomenon and one of the most successful plays ever. It was originally written in French and premiered in Paris in 1994; it was then translated in English, taking both the West End and Broadway by storm after a London opening in 1996 and a New York opening in 1998; it won Molière Awards for best author and best play, the British Laurence Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for best comedy, and a Tony Award for best play. It is now considered to be a contemporary classic, having been translated in 40 languages and played all over the world.

Playwright: Yasmina Reza is a French playwright, actress and novelist best known for her internationally acclaimed and prestigious award-winning plays ‘Art’ and God of Carnage.

Translator: Sir Christopher James Hampton is a British playwright, screenwriter and translator best known for his award-winning screenplay adaptations of Les Liaisons Dangereuses (his own play based on the novel of the same name) and The Father (a play written by Florian Zeller).