Distance - Simon Pittman | Director, Choreographer & Movement Director

Direction

Park Theatre London | 5th – 29th September 2018

Distance by Alex McSweeney

Fine Line in association with Rough Fiction and Park Theatre

Nominated for three Off West End Awards including Best Director

WINNER of the Best Set Design Off West End Award 2018

Press:

Off West End Award Nominations: Best Director: Simon Pittman, Best Stage Design: Bethany Wells and Best Actor in A Supporting Role (Male): Abdul Salis

★★★★ ‘Emotionally compelling… Pittman’s direction fuses elements of physical theatre and punchy realism to devastating effect. Humour erupts at precisely the right moment’ The Stage

★★★★ ‘Brilliant staging… a constantly shifting landscape that reflects the turbulence of the protagonist’s mind. Distance tackles a serious issue with a grace, poise, boldness and fierce intelligence that means it lives long in the memory’ The Upcoming

★★★★ ‘Utterly brilliant… In ninety minutes with no interval, it creates an utterly compelling and gripping slice of life. It’s a nuanced social and psychological exploration of the issue…. London Theatre 1

★★★★ ‘Exceptional… a harrowing and compelling story about one man’s descent into depression and beyond. It’s visceral, powerfully told and superbly played’ Stage Review

★★★★ ‘Powerful and thought-provoking yet enjoyably accessible… efficaciously negotiates being laugh-out-loud entertaining and heartbreakingly honest within a matter of moments’ Spy In The Stalls

★★★★ ‘unique and timely… intelligently written, ambitious in its experimentation with form, visually immaculate and performed with conviction’ Arthurs Seat

★★★★ ‘An accomplished exploration mental illness… blessed with beautifully funny moments. Ranks as one of Park Theatre’s more accomplished offerings of recent years’ londonboxoffice.co.uk

‘With its inventive staging… [Distance’s] theatricality is engaging and captures the fluctuating state of Steven’s mental health in a way that is very effective’. British Theatre Guide

‘An urgent play for our times, thrillingly staged by Simon Pittman… an outstanding piece of theatre’ Islington Tribune

★★★ ‘elegant and perfectly controlled’… A super-sleek production by Simon Pittman. These delights are worth your investigation and admiration.. British Theatre

★★★ ‘An important, timely and noble project … artfully summons up the emotional distance and isolation integrally related to depression’. The Londonist

Park Theatre Website

The distance between us can grow without taking a single step.Steven, recently separated and heading towards divorce, bumps into an old friend on the journey to a job interview.

A complex recent past and a fragile present collide, as Steven tries to make sense of the world around him and his place within it. We accelerate headlong into Steven’s chaotic and troubled inner life, as the everyday encounter unravels into something dark, disturbing, and unrestrained.

Following the acclaimed Out Of The Cage (Park Theatre), Fine Line, Alex McSweeney, and Simon Pittman, return with this powerful contemporary story, to bring you a darkly funny, physically dynamic, and technically bold portrayal of the mind.

With suicide the biggest killer of men under 50, DISTANCE is an urgent examination of mental illness, and its impact on the individual, their family, and the society around them.

Cast:

Creative:

The development of DISTANCE was supported by Park Theatre’s Script Accelerator programme and Arts Council England.

Artwork by Graham Turner