Belvoir Tell Us More About FAITH HEALER

Judy Davis will direct Faith Healer in her Belvoir directorial debut. Previously she has directed Victory, The School for Scandal and Barrymore for Sydney Theatre Company. First performed in 1979, Faith Healer is a masterpiece by one of the greatest playwrights of the last 50 years, Brian Friel. The acclaimed Irish playwright's works have won the Tony, the Olivier and the Critic's Circle Awards for Best Play.

Last century. The lovelorn, the malformed and the sick flock to a gifted rogue billed The Fantastic Francis Hardy: Faith Healer. Frank drifts the back roads of Britain with his wife and manager, hoping to find their way home. He might be just another shyster, more showman than shaman. But the trouble is, sometimes Fantastic Francis actually does bring the healing touch.

Faith Healer is made up of four monologues performed by three characters: Francis Hardy (Colin Friels), the titular healer, his wife Grace (Alison Whyte) and his manager Teddy (Pip Miller). Each share their perspective on their itinerate lives together. As the stories unravel a web of half-truths and personal mythologies is revealed.

Friels has recently appeared at Belvoir in Mortido and Death of a Salesman, and was nominated for Helpmann Awards for both performances. He's previously won a Helpmann, a Logie and two AFIs.

Whyte is one of Australia's most accomplished actors across theatre, film and television. Recently she has appeared in many television programs including The Kettering Incident, Glitch, The Doctor Blake Mysteries and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. In January she will appear in the one-woman play Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín at Sydney Theatre Company.

As well as countless Australian theatre credits, Miller spent several years with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. His film credits include Sliding Doors and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

'To quote Brain Friel himself, 'memory is about what has happened in the past. It's also about what might have happened but never did,' says Davis. 'Faith Healer grapples with this notion of truth and falsity, and presents us with the gift of theatre in its essence - exceptional language that comes alive through carefully crafted characters.'

Dates
22 October - 27 November 2016
Previews
8pm Saturday 22 October
6.30pm Sunday 23 October
8pm Tuesday 25 October
Opening Night
8pm Wednesday 26 October
Captioned Performance
2pm Saturday 5 November
Unwaged Performance
2pm Thursday 24 November
Sunday Forum
3pm 27 November
Times
Tuesday 6.30pm,
Wednesday to Friday 8pm,
Saturday 2pm & 8pm, Sunday 5pm
Tickets*
Full from $72, Seniors/Industry/Group $62, Concession $49, Previews $40,
30 Down $47, Student Saver $37
*Belvoir's ticket prices can be dynamically adjusted either up or down without notice. This can apply to a small number of tickets in response to demand for a specific performance date or time.
Venue
Upstairs Theatre
Belvoir St Theatre
25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills
Box Office
02 9699 3444

To post a comment, you must register and login.