The Pelican

‘Don’t blame me, and I won’t blame my parents, who could blame theirs, and so on…’

A recently-widowed mother seeks solace in her son-in-law, who eagerly anticipates his inheritance. Her two children, unsettled, question the house that left them cold and hungry. Their father speaks more from beyond the grave than he ever did alive, and the house, steeped in memories, begins to fall apart.

August Strindberg’s 1907 classic is a surgical, merciless study of human nature and family relationships. Newly relevant in light of our recent lockdown, it examines the way we form, maintain and destroy our relationships with those closest to us - and the secrets we keep from them.

Chalk Roots Theatre are an ensemble of recent graduates from British and Russian drama schools, a Lithuanian director and other international artists. We draw on our cross-cultural backgrounds to stage work examining hidden truths and human nature, inspired by classic plays and literature.