Back To Anna - streamed performance preview + Q&A

Leo Tolstoy is composing his masterpiece Anna Karenina by dissecting the women around him, particularly his wife Sofia. But she has some objections to the roles her alter egos are forced to play. And as husband and wife leap between paper-puppet world and reality, Anna is watching them, waiting for her train.

Back to Anna is a crisp, multi-rolling play about the forgotten female voices and lived experiences Leo Tolstoy co-opted to write Anna Karenina. It explores authorship as power and writing as negotiation, merging sharp text with vibrant movement. By interweaving two narrative strands – one inspired by fiction, one by the Tolstoy couple’s private diaries and letters – Anna Karenina becomes a prism to examine the Tolstoys’ lives.

Anita Brokmeier & Anna Clart, two emerging international artists now based in London, have written, directed and devised jointly since 2016. They take classic literature such as Tristan & Isolde or Dorian Gray and playfully reimagine these sources for the stage by combining new writing with adaptation, generating fresh, cutting-edge narratives.

Back to Anna was longlisted for the Radius Playwriting Award and tested at a staged reading at Pentameters Theatre in February 2020. After an intensive research & development workshop, the ensemble is excited to perform a work-in-progress sharing of the first act, followed by a Q&A.

The project is being generously supported by the Carne Trust.

ANNA/AKSINYA/WOMAN - Sanda Bourenane

LEO/LEVIN - Will Bishop

SOFIA/KITTY/DOLLY - Anita Brokmeier

Written by Anita Brokmeier and Anna Clart

Directed by Anna Clart

Choreographed by Zak Nemorin

Anita Brokmeier graduated with distinction from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2019 and holds a BA in Literature & Theatre Studies. She has co-written, devised & performed her own shows in Berlin since 2014 (i.a. Theaterforum Kreuzberg, Mix It Festival, Mensch Meier Festival), where she co-founded the theatre collectives Mondschweine and Federspiel. Anita multi-roles as Sofia/Dolly/Kitty.

Anna Clart graduated from LAMDA’s Directing programme in 2019. She previously co-founded the Berlin theatre collective Federspiel and has written, directed, devised and produced work internationally since 2016. Her work reflects her previous graduate studies in history and philosophy, as well as her interest in cross-cultural storytelling and movement.

Will Bishop graduated from LAMDA in 2019 and is represented by Becky Barrett Management. Since graduating, he has worked consistently in radio, TV and theatre, as well as developing his own work with his production company, Unrealistically Loud. He is very excited to be returning to 'Back To Anna' in the role of Leo.

Having lived between the UK, France, and Canada, Sanda Bourenane decided to pursue her acting studies in Paris soon after taking on the part of Sabine in the Canadian feature film, Romeo Eleven, directed by Ivan Grbovic. After being admitted into the Classe Libre program of the Cours Florent in Paris in 2015, she moved to London in 2017 and attended LAMDA, from which she graduated in 2019. Sanda is taking on the role of Anna.

Zak Nemorin is a critically acclaimed choreographer, performer and filmmaker. After almost twenty years appearing in seventeen Musical Theatre productions in the West End, around Europe and in North America, Zak turned his sights to being a creative, working with both Incognito and Spies Like Us theatre companies. he choreographed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at The Union Theatre, receiving an Offie Award nomination for Best Choreography and winning Best Musical Production 2020. He has also choreographed for TV’s Midsomer Murders and Agatha Raisin. He is Head of Dance at Millennium Performing Arts and holds the Original Concept and is Co-Creator/Choreographer for Uprooted - The Journey of Jazz Dance a feature documentary about the history and lineage of Jazz Dance.

Event Venue

Online