FROM THE ARCHIVES

Art at The Company of Players (Hertford) 11
Season: 2009-2010
9th – 17th April 2010 at 8pm Art
By Yasmina Reza  
Directed by  Claudia McKelvey

How much would you pay for a white painting? Would it matter who the painter was? Would it be art?

One of Marc’s best friends, Serge, has just bought a very expensive painting. Its about five feet by four, all white with white diagonal lines. To Marc, the painting is a joke, but Serge insists Marc doesn’t have the proper standard to judge the work.

Another friend, Ivan, though burdened by his own problems, allows himself to be pulled into the this disagreement. Eager to please, Ivan tells Serge he likes the painting.

Lines are drawn and these old friends square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to batter one another relentlessly over various failures. As their arguments become less theoretical and more personal, they border on destroying their friendships. At the breaking point, Serge hands Marc a felt tip pen and dares him: “Go on.” This is where the friendship is finally tested and the aftermath of action, and its reaction, affirms the power of those bonds.

CREATIVE TEAM


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COMING UP...

By Laura Wade
4th – 12th April 2025
By Amelia Bullmore
13th – 21st June 2025

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