Primo

Author(s): Sir Antony Sher
Based on the memoir <If This Is a Man by Italian Jewish chemist and writer, Primo Levi, which describes his arrest as a member of the Italian anti-fascist resistance during World War II and his incarceration in the Auschwitz concentration camp. The play is a monologue told by an older Primo looking back at his life in Auschwitz.
Format: One-man show
Cast Size:1M
Notes:

Sir Antony Sher was born in Cape Town, South Africa, but has worked mainly in the U.K., and in 2000 was awarded Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) for services to theatre. He is now a British citizen. The production, starring Sher, opened on Broadway in July 2005.

In 2005, a filmed recording of the Royal National Theatre production of Sher’s Primo was broadcast by HBO and the BBC.

Snapshot

Original or Prominent Production:
2004, Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London.
Original Source Material: Adapted from Primo Levi's 1947 memoir If This Is a Man
Nationality of Author: British | South African
Original Language: English
Publisher:

Primo Time by Sir Antony Sher is an account of bringing Primo Levi’s Auschwitz memoir to the stage. Published by Nick Hern Books.

Experience(s) Chronicled: Concentration and Extermination Camps

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