Le Père

Le Père ("The Father") is a French play by Florian Zeller (1979-)

(Not to be confused with Le Père ( or Père), the French translation of Fadren by August Strindberg.)

The original text
A black comedy about a man trying to cope with dementia, it was written and performed to acclaim at Théâtre Hébertot, Paris in 2012. The play won the Molière Award for Best Play in 2014.

Translations and adaptations
The play was translated into English as The Father by Christopher Hampton, The translation was commissioned by the Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal, Bath and premiered in October 2014. The production transferred to the Tricycle Theatre, London, in May 2015. The English version has gone on to win both a Tony and an Olivier award on Broadway and West End.

The original play was made into the French film Floride in 2015.

Performance history in South Africa
2016: First produced as The Father at The Fugard Studio Theatre from 8 November to 3 December. Produced by Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre, it was directed by Greg Karvellas with Marius Weyers, Anthea Thompson, Emily Child, Brent Palmer, Nicholas Pauling, Amy Louise Wilson. Set design is by Rocco Pool, costume design by Birrie le Roux and lighting design by Kieran McGregor.

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