A prince chained in the mountains. A young woman disguised as a man seeking revenge. Revolution, love, murder – but in Life is a Dream, is the real truly real, or is it all just a dream?
Cheek by Jowl’s first Spanish-language production will be Calderón’s astonishing play from the Spanish Golden Age. Directed by Declan Donnellan and designed by Nick Ormerod, it will be performed by a company of Spanish actors.
It follows many years of Cheek by Jowl performances in Spain and many years of establishing connections and collaborating with Spanish performers and theatre professionals. Life is a Dream is the first play from the Golden Age performed since Donnellan and Ormerod presented their 1989 English-language adaptation of Lope de Vega’s Fuenteovejuna at the National Theatre in London.
Director Declan Donnellan is joint Artistic Director of Cheek by Jowl. He formed the company in 1981 with his partner, designer Nick Ormerod. They have created over 40 productions performed in over 400 cities, across six continents.
Aside from Cheek by Jowl his productions include: Fuenteovejuna, Sweeney Todd, The Mandate, both parts of Angels in America (National Theatre); Le Cid (Avignon Festival); The Winter’s Tale (Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg) ; Shakespeare in Love (West End). Opera: Falstaff (Salzburg Festival). Ballet: Romeo and Juliet; Hamlet (Bolshoï). Film includes: Bel Ami.
For lifetime achievement he has received the Stanislavksi Award, the Golden Mask, the Charlemagne Prize and the Golden Lion of Venice. His book, The Actor and the Target, was first published in Russian in 2000 and has subsequently been translated into fifteen languages.
