The Sea

Year
1981 - 1982

Creatives
Director: Els van der Werf

Production Manager: Nelleke Smits

Writer
Edward Bond

Synopsis
The Sea is set in a village on the east coast of England in the year 1907. Life in this middle-class community follows its rigid pattern. Human relationships are overshadowed by struggles for personal power, and days are spent in preoccupation with petty, bourgeois niceties. To many, the outside world is threatening, and indeed, the continental balance of power is threatened, and the country is preparing for the, as yet far off, First World War. During a storm one night, a young man from the village is drowned at sea; his friend has washed ashore and, for a short period, is taken up into the village community. The Sea is a companion piece to Lear, Bond's political tragedy based on Shakespeare's King Lear. In Lear, an old king is brought face to face with his mistakes and comes to realise the need for political change. The old king, however, does not have the power to bring about fundamental changes; his last act can only be symbolic. His tragic end is inevitable. As a companion piece to Lear, Bond wanted to write a comedy which would stress the possibility of change in spite of difficulties and in which he could express his faith in the courage and moral resilience in people. Hence, The Sea centers round two young people who learn to cope with a major personal tragedy and have the strength to fight a society which oppresses them. In 1982, Bond was working on a group of plays, of which The Bundle and The Worlds are the first two, in which he does not only give the reasons why society has to be changed, but also indicates how this might be done. In his earlier plays, however, he refrains from giving definite solutions. Thus The Sea ends in mid-sentence; as Bond said: "it is for the audience to go away and complete the sentence in their own lives." The Sea was first presented by the Royal Court Theatre on 22 May 1973, under the direction of William Gaskill.

Cast
Bauke van Dijk: Mafanwy Price

Willemien Ebels: Rose Jones

Hans Jansen: Vicar

Judith Kiers: Jessica Tilehouse

David Linder: James Thompson

Wilma van der Mark: Davis

Gijsbert Meerbach: Hatch

Sonrisa Moll: Louise Rafi

Jaques Muller: Willy Carson

Jaap Nieuwenhuis: Colin

Janneke Schootstra: Rachel

Wiebe Stuive: Hollarcut

Wim Thommasson: Evens

Joke van Wijk: Jilly

Crew
Henk Braakman (Sound)

Annelies Dogterom (Costumes)

Gert Egberts (Poster & Program Design, PR)

Hans Jansen (Props)

Wilma van der Mark (Stage Manager, Prompter)

Gijsbert Meerbach (Sound)

Margé Meuwese (Costumes)

Aaltje ter Reegen (Costumes)

Peformances
March 27th 1982: Kruithuis

March 29th 1982: Kruithuis

March 30th 1982: Kruithuis

March 31st 1982: Kruithuis

Special Thanks
Mrs. R. van Hooy (Supply with yards of blue material)

Bert Oosting

Frea Kuipers

Pastoor B. Röben

Lia van der Mark

Joop Stelwagen

Fam. Meuwese

Paula de Valk