Storytelling Directions – 13th May – Crime & Punishment

This week we continue are ‘dual purpose’ workshops looking at the storytelling genius of Dostoyevsky’s most famous work ‘Crime & Punishment’ in the form of a stage adaptation. A near contemporary of Dickens, Dostoyevksy similarly shows the poverty and misery of Russia’s 19th century capital Petersburg with a newly industrialised peasantry coming to terms with new city realities.

In it steps Raskalnikov, a student intellectual ‘nihilist’ who conjectures whether the murder of an old money-lender is justified if it leads to countless acts of good, setting off a train of events which involves great tragic-comedy characters such as the drunken civil servant Marmeladov, his daughter the pious daughter prostituting herself out of neccesity and most notably Porfiry, the Investigating Detective (and inspiration for Peter Falk’s Inspector Columbo incidentally!) who engages in an epic struggle with Raskalnikov.

We’ll be looking at some of Dostoyevsky’s techniques in his storytelling arsenal as well as getting participants to try their hand at directing scenes dealing with issues such as creating intimacy and crowd tableaux.

Experienced or beginner, actor, director or writer, serious or just for fun come along and get involved –

The Casa, Hope St, Liverpool, 7pm, £3/£2