| Admin History | Kneehigh's 2008 'Brief Encounter' was a theatrical adaptation of David Lean's 1945 film of the same name which itself was adaptated from a one-act play called 'Still Life' written by Noel Coward in 1936.
Rice was commissioned to adapt the film by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers who produced the UK performances along with Cineworld. Brief Encounter marked the third time Rice had adapted an iconic British film from the immediate post war period into a theatrical production. Rice had previously adapted Powell and Pressburger's 'A Matter of Life and Death' (1946) and 'The Red Shoes' (1948) for the stage.
The production of Brief Encounter incorporated elements of both the film and original stage play into its narrative and featured a collection of songs and poems originally written by Coward, with new musical accompaniments composed by Kneehigh's Stu Barker.
Brief Encounter was first performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (29th September - 20th October 2007) before moving to the West Yorkshire Playhouse (24th October - 10th November 2007) and then to London's Haymarket Cinema for a ten month run (2nd Febuary - November 2008). This was followed by a UK wide tour from Febuary - July 2009.
The production then had a series of US residencies from 2009 - 2011:
- American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco (September - October 2009)
- St Ann's Warehouse in New York (December 2nd 2009 - January 17th 2010)
- The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis (Feburary - April 2010)
- The Roundabout Theatre Company (Studio 54) on Broadway (September 10th 2010 - January 2011).
The show went on to tour Australia in Autumn 2013:
- The Dunstan Playhouse in Adelaide (10 - 28 September 2013)
- The Canberra Theatre (2 - 5 October)
- The Athenaeum Theatre in Melborne (9 - 27 October)
- The Concourse Theatre in Sydney (31 October - 17th November)
- The IMB Threatre in Wollongong (20th - 24th November)
- The Regal Theatre in Perth (28th November - 7th December).
Breif Encounter returned to the US for a second tour in Spring 2014:
- Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills (February 15 - March 23)
- Shakespeare Theatre in Washington (March 29 - April 13).
Kneehigh and Emma Rice collaborated to bring Brief Encounter back to London's Haymarket Cinema in March 2018 for a four month run until July 22nd.
- (https://playbill.com/article/casting-complete-for-london-return-of-brief-encounter) accessed 30th June 2023.
[Information on dates taken from programmes. Cast and crew details listed at specific tour level]. |