A Mirror

Almeida Theatre – 2023

The brief: With great pleasure Leyla and Joel invite you to celebrate their marriage. Dress code is smart casual. Doors at 7.30pm, followed by the exchange of vows. And at the signal, the entertainment will begin. (This performance is being staged without a licence from the Ministry. We recognise the risk that each and every one of you is taking by attending, and we salute your courage.)

In countries ruled by dictators, people stage censored plays under the cover of weddings and funerals, and playwright Sam Holcroft’s aim was to give the Almeida’s audience a taste of this. So the wedding is a cover up – the play is a lie.

Inspired by censorship graphics, the show artwork juxtaposes a line of the play (‘This play is a lie’) over the ‘mug shots’ of the three lead actors aka the bride, the groom and the registrar.

Photography (Jonny Lee Miller, Micheal Ward and Tannya Reynolds) by Sebastian Nevols