A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

A Question of Attribution

Short Play, Drama  /  1w, 5m

"A true work of art...a theatrical metaphor turned into a play, a disruptive meditation upon our quest for certainty and identification. Anthony Blunt discovers, through research and X rays, what hidden faces are concealed beneath a painting's surfac…

A Question of Attribution

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 5m

Details

Summary
Based on Anthony Blunt's role in the Cambridge Spy Ring and, as Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, personal art advisor to Queen Elizabeth II. It portrays his interrogation by MI5 officers, his work researching and conserving art works, his work at the Courtauld Institute, and his acquaintance with the Queen.

Media

"A true work of art...a theatrical metaphor turned into a play, a disruptive meditation upon our quest for certainty and identification. Anthony Blunt discovers, through research and X rays, what hidden faces are concealed beneath a painting's surface. It is a process which resembles the exposure of the postwar network of spies within England. The gulf between appearance and reality...reverberates with resonance in the discussion between the Queen and Sir Anthony. It is as if both were agreeing that it is more politic to accept a painting which is a forgery (a spy) than to expose it." - The Guardian. SFI Premier-Comp Short No Maybe No No Questioning of Nick, The 19601 Title Short Play Drama Interior Two detectives are trying to break the story of a rough student suspected of being bribed to throw a basketball game. Playing on his pride, they learn bit by bit of his recent experiences, concluding with the fact he knows a certain racketeer. His boasting has betrayed him. Male: 3 Short Short No Yes No No Questions, The 29504 Title Short Play Drama Interior 10 minutes No intermission High School,College Theatre,Community Theatre,Professional Theatre,Shoestring Budget,Blackbox / Second Stage /Fringe Groups Adult,Teen (14 - 18) Mild Adult Themes Betrayal,Childhood,Love,Marriage,Memory,Parenting/Family 1990 Not Applicable Contemporary / Street Clothes Not Applicable Late at night in her kitchen in Munich, Anna confronts her estranged father, at whom she is very, very angry. James knows he's been very bad to her, and is trying, belatedly, to connect, but she has been hurt so much that she's very reluctant to trust him. Her experience with him has led her to believe that love between men and women is a lie. Somehow, her deeply compromised and highly untrustworthy father tries to make amends. A powerful and heartbreaking struggle between people who have lost each other. Published in The Zoar Plays.

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £40 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
  • Mandatory Music/Media Fee: £18 per performance

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Authors

Alan Bennett

Alan Bennett was born in Leeds in 1934. After studying at Oxford University he collaborated as a writer and performer with Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Peter Cook in Beyond the Fringe in 1960 at the Edinburgh Festival. He then turned to writing full time and produced h ...

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