In 1949, Dr Jacob Bronowski installs a secret, alarmed room in his house. Fifty years later his grandson discovers his secrets, unearthing echoes of six million years of human history, compressed into a single century in which every year is a revolutionary year.
New Diorama Theatre will premiere their new in-house production Secret Life of Humans as part of the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, ahead of a full London run in 2018.
The show, inspired by Yuval Harari's international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, has been written by New Diorama's Artistic & Executive Director David Byrne, co-directed with Idle Motion's Kate Stanley and devised by the company behind NDT's award-winning productions of Kubrick3 and Down and Out in Paris & London.
Writer and Co-Director David Byrne says "Secret Life of Humans is by far our most ambitious and exciting production to date. However daunting it can be to open a brand new devised show at the Festival, we're delighted to be premiering at The Pleasance as part of the 70th anniversary of the Fringe."
Secret Life of Humans is a New Diorama Theatre production, co-produced with Greenwich Theatre and The Pleasance. The show is also supported by Arts Council England and PRS For Music Foundation.
New Diorama are also backing many of their supported theatre companies at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival, including The Pretend Men with Police Cops In Space, In Bed With My Brother's We Are Ian and, following on from NDT's 2017 City of Culture Showcase, four Hull-based companies, including Silent Uproar with A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) written by Olivier award-winner Jon Brittain. As well as cash and in-kind support, New Diorama is providing funds to allow every NDT supported company to host a captioned access performance at the Fringe.
For tickets and more information, visit tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/secret-life-of-humans.
About New Diorama Theatre
New Diorama Theatre is a pioneering venue in the heart of London dedicated to providing a home for theatre ensembles, both emerging and established, from across the UK. Since opening in 2010, New Diorama has welcomed well over 120,000 audience members and has developed productions that have toured both nationally and internationally. Having received two prestigious Peter Brook Awards for their programme, New Diorama were also the recipients of the 2013/14 Les Enfants Terribles Prize and Artistic and Executive Director David Byrne was awarded the OffWestEnd Award for Best Artistic Director in 2014.
Supported by a strong community programme New Diorama were Mayor of Camden's Official Charity in 2012/13 and are proud of their work with Access, being the only non-government funded Studio Theatres to offer access performances throughout their whole season.
New Diorama Theatre was also the recipient of the prestigious Peter Brook 'Empty Space' Award in 2016 as a "vital creative hub for established and emerging theatre companies" and was named Best Fringe Theatre at the 2016 Stage Awards.
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