JAGTEN / THE HUNT, Almeida Theatre 2019 © Marc Brenner
JAGTEN / THE HUNT
By Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm (DK)
Stage adaptation by David Farr (UK)
3 F / 10 M, including a six-year-old girl and boy and a 16-year-old boy in speaking roles. Per and Pastor can be played by the same actor
Drama
English original text, based upon the Danish film THE HUNT
The story takes place in a small, close-knit Danish provincial community. The kindergarten teacher, Lucas, is struggling rebuilding his life after a tough divorce as his ex-wife tries to prevent him from seeing his 16-year-old son, Marcus. One day, one of the kindergarten pupils, Clara, the daughter of Lucas’ best friend, makes comments that lead the kindergarten director to believe that Lucas indecently exposed himself to her. When interviewed with leading questions, Clara gives an unclear testimony against Lucas. Soon other children come forward sharing made up stories about abuse and a true witch-hunt begins transferring the community idyll into a state of collective hysteria. Now Lucas finds himself struggling to figure out exactly what happened and to cleanse his name while being shunned by the community as a pedophile sexual predator.
JAGTEN / THE HUNT, Almeida Theatre 2019
