Directed by Tim Crouch, Karl James and a smith.
Sound score created by Peter Gill.
read the reviews
have a look at the images
Want to book this show?
Visit Karl James's website, the dialogue project
Watch the first ten minutes of an oak tree on video!
Tim Crouch's play an oak tree is published by oberon books.
Buy the book from amazon
A man loses his daughter to a car. Nothing now is what it is. It’s like he’s in a play – but he doesn’t know the words or the moves. The man who was driving the car is a stage hypnotist. Since the accident, he’s lost the power of suggestion. His act’s a disaster. For him, everything now is exactly what it is. For the first time since the accident, these two men meet. They meet when the Father volunteers for the Hypnotist’s act. And, this time, he really doesn’t know the words or the moves...
an oak tree is a two-hander, with the Hypnotist being played by Tim Crouch. The Father, however, is played by a different guest actor at each performance. They walk on stage having neither seen nor read a word of the play they’re in... until they’re in it. This is a breath-taking projection of a performance, given from one actor to another, from a hypnotist to their subject, from an audience to a person. an oak tree is a bold and absurdly comic new play about loss, suggestion and the power of the mind. It contains a dazzling balance of gripping story, rich theatricality and shocking humour. It is a remarkable sequel to Tim Crouch’s first play, my arm, which was a major hit at the Traverse in 2003 and which has been touring internationally ever since.
an oak tree has been awarded a prestigious OBIE award following its New York run at Barrow Street Theater.
an oak tree broke box office records during its run at Soho Theatre, London. Second actors included Sophie Okonedo, David Harewood, Linda Bassett, Saskia Reeves, David Morrissey, Juliet Aubrey, Gina McKee and Kwame Kwei-Armah.
an oak tree picked up a Herald Angel when it premiered at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival. The Traverse Theatre run was a sell-out success, and was met with widespread critical acclaim. It has since toured the world and been translated into French, German and Portuguese. To date, over 250 actors have appeared in the news from nowhere production, including Christopher Eccleston, Mike Myers, Frances McDormand, Roger Lloyd Pack and Toby Jones. And the show has had many eminent audience members, too, including Tarja Halonen, President of Finland, who enjoyed a performance at the Tampere Theatre Festival in August 2006.
read the reviews
