The first UK stage adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s seminal First World War novel, A Farewell to Arms is coming to Salford’s Lowry Theatre.
In the production by Imitating the dog, one of the UK’s most innovative performance theatre companies, Wigan actress Laura Atherton plays the lead role of Catherine Barkley alongside Jude Monk McGowan, star of hit 2012 film Anna Karenina.
Farewell To Arms is the first stage adaptation since Laurence Stallings first adapted the story for Broadway in 1930, a year after the novel was published.
Based on the author’s real-life experience in 1918 in Italy, A Farewell to Arms tells the story of Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver for the Italian army and his relationship with English nurse Catherine Barkley.
Against the backdrop of the war the two protagonists discover the redemptive power of love and experience the loss of innocence as they attempt to cement their relationship in a time of devastating conflict.
In this adaptation, imitating the dog will fuse video projection designed by Andrew Croft from Rochdale, beautiful stage design by Manchester School of Art graduate Laura Hopkins, and original music to create an extraordinary adaptation of Hemingway’s powerful tale of love and the brutality of modern warfare.
Imitating the dog will also be running a workshop-based residency at Contact from Mon 10 – Wed 12 November. Participants will create a film (showcased at both Contact and The Lowry) as a companion piece to A Farewell to Arms, exploring the narratives of war, everyday conflict and love.
A Farewell To Arms
Thu 13 – Sat 15 November
Times 8pm, Sat 2.30pm
Tickets £17 – £19
Concessions £2 off
bit.ly/lowryfarewell
0843 208 6000
