Not about Nightingales

At the webpage of The Norwegian Theatre the following, among other things, is written about Not about Nightingales:

"Not about Nightingales is the first full-length play by the great American theatre poet Tennessee Williams. He was only 27 years old when he wrote it. Later it was put away, for some reason or another, until the English star actress Vanessa Redgrave rediscovered it and had it staged at Royal National Theatre in London, for its world premiere in 1998, directed by Trevor Nunn. The play from 1938 became a great success.

Tennessee Williams wrote the play as a reaction to the strong impressions from a prisoner riot shaking the American nation. Four prisoners were tortured to death in a prison believed to be a model prison. With his youthful passion Williams cuts down to the bone of the human existence: Is the meaning of life anything else than survival? In a battle for life and death the prisoners have to choose the direction of their lives; die as heroes or survive as cowards.

(...)

Alexander Mørk-Eidem instructs the production. He is 28 years old and has been out of the direction study at The National Academy of Theatre for only two years. This is his first assignment as a director at The Norwegian Theatre; why Not about Nightingales, exactly?

- The play made a forceful impression on me. I have seen it and read it and both captivated me, not a boring minute. Other than that I have always been interested in young poets or youth works by well-known writers. It is interesting to examine how people my age think and express themselves. One can surely find weak points in these youthful works, but one can also find a lot of energy and uncompromised passion."

Sources:

The Norwegian Theatre on Not about Nightingales, www.detnorsketeatret.no, 08.11.2012, http://www.detnorsketeatret.no/index.php?option=com_play&view=play&playid=282&tab=1

Sceneweb on The Hedda Award 2000, www.sceneweb.no, 12.11.2012, http://www.sceneweb.no/en/awarding/23919/Heddaprisen_2000-2000