Blythe Duff Set for INTO THAT DARKNESS at Citizens

Blythe Duff is to appear on the Citizens stage as author, historian and journalist Gitta Sereny in Into That Darkness, a chilling dramatisation of interviews with a convicted Nazi war criminal, opening at the theatre on Monday 18 May until Saturday 30 May.

In 1970, investigative journalist Gitta Sereny undertook lengthy interviews with SS-Obersturmführer Franz Stangl, who had recently been sentenced to a lifetime's imprisonment for his role in the deaths of nearly one million people in Nazi extermination camps. The resulting book was dramatised in 1994 by former Citizens Theatre Artistic Director Robert David MacDonald. This new production, staged by the Citizens during its 70th anniversary year, also marks 70 years since the end of World War II.

One of Scotland's finest actors, Blythe Duff, returns to the Citizens stage to play Sereny. As well as her book chronicling her time with Stangl, Sereny's work also included profiles and interviews with controversial figures such as convicted child-killer Mary Bell and Albert Speer, one of the few members of the Nazi Party to accept moral responsibility for crimes committed under its regime. Sereny was awarded a CBE in 2003 for her services to journalism, and died in 2012.

Joining Duff on stage in the role of Stangl is Cliff Burnett, most recently seen at the Citizens as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and as Polonius in Hamlet, both directed by Citizens Theatre Artistic Director Dominic Hill.

Robert David MacDonald's adaptation of Sereny's book was originally produced at the Citizens Theatre under the title In Quest of Conscience. Like the source material, it focuses not on the harrowing events that took place in the camps, but examines how individuals like Stangl can be capable of such crimes, and how they can be prevented in the future. MacDonald was one of the three artistic leaders of the Citizens Theatre from 1971 - 2003. During this period, the Citizens first became famous around the world for innovative productions of classic texts and challenging new works.

Into That Darkness is directed by Citizens Theatre Main Stage Director in Residence Gareth Nicholls. Appointed in April 2014, Nicholls' residency at the theatre has seen him assist Artistic Director Dominic Hill on Hill's production of Hamlet, as well as work alongside staff and creative teams at the Citizens Theatre. Nicholls' residency is supported by Creative Scotland's Creative Futures Programme and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

As part of the year-long celebrations of the Citizens' 70th anniversary at its Gorbals home, all tickets for Into That Darkness, the final production in its Spring 2015 season are available for £15, with previews priced at £8.50 and Tuesday performances at £12.50. Tickets can be purchased by calling 0141 429 0022 or at citz.co.uk

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