Stuff Happens

Stuff Happens is a play by David Hare, written in response to the Iraq War. Hare describes it as "a history play" that deals with recent history.

The title is inspired by Donald Rumsfeld's response to widespread looting in Baghdad:

:"Stuff happens and it’s untidy, and freedom’s untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.” (April 11, 2003)

The play presents a mix of viewpoints, including arguments for and against the attack on Iraq, mixing verbatim re-creations of real speeches, meetings and press conferences and fictionalised versions of private meetings between members of the Bush and Blair administrations, and international figures such as Hans Blix and Dominique de Villepin.

An ensemble cast plays over 40 roles during the 3 hour play, although the actors playing the principals -- Bush, Rice, Powell and Blair -- play only one role.

"Stuff Happens" opened at the National Theatre in London in September 2004, and has subsequently been performed at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum (with Keith Carradine and Julian Sands) in June 2005 and at Sydney's Seymour Center(with Rhys Muldoon and Greg Stone) in July 2005. In March 2006, it opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater in New York City. The first academic production of the piece was produced at Western Washington University under the direction of Mark Kuntz in November 2007. The Canadian premiere was on March 4th, 2008, at the Berkeley St. Theatre in Toronto [ [http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Theatre/article/308527 thestar.com] ] .

The first non English production, directed by Andrew S Paul, of Pittsburgh, Pa, USA, opened at the Slaski Theatre, Katowice, Poland, on February 23, 2008.

External links

*" [http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=8705 Stuff Happens] " – original London production at the Olivier Theatre of the National Theatre (Sept.–Dec. 2004)
*" [http://www.publictheater.org/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,99999999/id,489 Stuff Happens] " – New York production by The Public Theater (March 28, 2006–June 25, 2006). It's first appearance in educational theatre happened at Western Washington University in November 2007. It was performed by the graduate program at the University of San Diego in April 2008 as well. It was performed by Boston University's School of Theatre in April 2008. The DC premiere was performed by Georgetown University's undergraduate theater program. *" [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040303364.html] "
*" [http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/calendar/event.php?id=31193&cid=20&oid=0&template=7] "

References