Travelling Light
a new play by Nicholas Wright
In a remote village in Eastern Europe, around 1900, the young Motl Mendl is entranced by the flickering silent images on his father’s cinematograph. Bankrolled by Jacob, the ebullient local timber merchant, and inspired by Anna, the girl sent to help him make moving pictures of their village, he stumbles on a revolutionary way of story-telling. Forty years on, Motl – now a famed American film director – looks back on his early life and confronts the cost of fulfilling his dreams.
How had a twenty-two-year–old pretentious layabout made a discovery that would elude every other cinematic pioneer for years to come?
The award-winning Antony Sher – whose previous work with the National Theatre includes Primo and Stanley – returns to play Jacob.
I know it was in the picture. I made the picture and now the cow’s getting paid and I’m not!
Audio-Described performances Fri 2 Mar at 7.30pm, Sat 3 Mar at 2.15pm (Touch Tour at 12.45pm)
Captioned performance Wed 29 Feb at 7.30pm
National Theatre Live
Travelling Light was broadcast to cinemas across the UK and around the world on 9 February 2012 as part of National Theatre Live. Find your nearest cinema and book.
On Tour
13 – 17 March
The Lowry, Salford
20 – 24 March
Grand Theatre, Leeds
27 – 31 March
Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury
3 – 7 April
Theatre Royal, Newcastle
original photos © Corbis
