The Stronger
by August Strindberg, adapted by David Robson, based on a new translation by Sonja Robson
A Virtual Holiday Event
December 18, 2021
Directed by The IRC
Consultant
Stephen Patrick Smith
Video and Lighting Design
Mark Williams
Producer
Tina Brock
Associate Producer / Costuming Consultant
Erica Hoelscher
Associate Producer / Stage Manager
Bob Schmidt
Join us on Zoom on Saturday, December 18:
5:00 performance:
https://lehigh.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z5PgSRk6S7-njaiNScu42Q
7:30 performance:
https://lehigh.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r01zZ5RMTPScDsJJcUjnBw
OR
Watch on Facebook Live:
https://www.facebook.com/IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium
Join us for a virtual adaptation of August Strindberg’s The Stronger, which will be live-streamed for two performances this holiday season on Saturday, December 18 at 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm. This free virtual event will feature Sonja Robson and Tina Brock as Mrs. X and Miss Y, performing an adaptation by David Robson, based on a new translation by Sonja Robson. David Robson is an award-winning playwright whose work for the stage has been hailed as “compelling”, “forceful”, and “gut-wrenching” by The New York Times, and “an important contribution to contemporary theater” by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Language takes center stage as Sonja and Tina take aim at each other in classic Strindberg style. For reservations on Zoom:https://lehigh.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z5PgSRk6S7-njaiNScu42Q
“My interest in Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s work originally coincided with my interest in one Swedish woman. But as I’ve read his work over the last two decades, I’ve come to appreciate what a theatrical maverick he was. His plays run the gamut from in-your-face realism to wild abstraction and Expressionism. He was always trying on new forms and experimenting with subject matter, much of which cuts close to the bone of both Strindberg’s real life and the human experience in general.
Adapting The Stronger began with a bad translation. Awkward, stilted, and inaccurate, it did provide a foundation from which to work. Sonja Robson’s much more lucid translation helped clarify confusing passages and brought me closer to Strindberg’s characters and themes, which remain so timely.
The Stronger is the kind of play I love best: small cast, one room, an abrupt face-to-face encounter. Here, the characters are trapped not just in the room itself but by their resentments, jealousies, and regrets. When done well, it’s heart-wrenching theatre.”
— Playwright David Robson