Through a Glass Darkly - Almeida Theatre

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Ingmar Bergman1918 Ernst Ingmar Bergman born in Uppsala, Sweden on 14 July1928 Begins to visit the Royal Opera in Stockholm on a regular basis.1930 Bergman’s first experience of theatre; he attends Alf Sjoberg’s Big Claus and Little Claus at theRoyal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten).1938 Begins directing an amateur ensemble at Master Olöfs-gården theatre in Stockholm, leads tohim leaving university. His decides on Outward Bound (Sutton Vane) for his debut production.1939 Applies unsuccessfully for a job at Dramaten but lands a temporary job as Director’s Assistantat Royal Opera.1940 Establishes a connection with Stockholm Student Theatre (Studentteatern). His first play forthem opens on 1 November; The Pelican (August Strindberg).1941 With growing reputation and media attention for his work he is chosen as head of Sweden’sforemost children’s theatre, Sagoteatern.1942 Directs first play he has written at Studentteatern called Death of Punch. Gains first job in filmindustry joining Svensk Filmindustri as a screenwriter and Assistant Director where he writesscreenplay for Torment and on which he makes his film directorial debut.1944 Takes over as head of the Holsingborg City Theatre, becoming, at 26, the youngest head of amajor theatre in Europe. On the brink of ruin he turns it around in one year, ensuring they regainstate funding.1946 Moves to Gothenberg and is invited to direct at Gateborgs Stadsteater, Sweden’s most politicaltheatre at the time. Opens with Albert Camus’ Caligula. Crisis, Bergman’s film directorial debutpremieres but bombs with audiences and critics alike.1952 Moves to Skåne and is appointed as Director and Artistic Advisor at Malmo Stadsteater, hedescribed this period as the best in his career and it marked the beginning of his heyday as a theatredirector.1955 Premiere of his film comedy Smiles of a Summer Night which became his internationalbreakthrough.1956 Shooting of film The Seventh Seal in Skåne and Stockholm.1961 Premiere of Through a Glass Darkly for which Bergman wins Oscar for Best Foreign Languagefilm. Is also appointed artistic advisor at Svensk Filmindustri.1963 Accepts post of head of Dramaten. His first production is European premiere of Edward Albee’sWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Winter Light (The Communicants) and The Silence also premiere thisyear, completing a film trilogy with Through a Glass Darkly.1966 Resigns as Head of Dramaten.1970 Guest at the National Theatre in London where Laurence Olivier had persuaded him to stageHedda Gabler with Maggie Smith. On his return to Dramaten, Bergman directed an average of oneplay a year until his departure in 1976.1976 Leaves Sweden in voluntary exile.1977 After a brief spell in Los Angeles, Bergman moves to Munich where he staged his firstproduction at Munich Residenztheater.1982 Premiere of Fanny and Alexander for which Bergman wins four Oscars.1984 He returns to Sweden and Dramaten and begins his directorship with Shakespeare’s King Lear.2002 Bergman stages his farewell production at Dramaten: Ibsen’s Ghosts.2007 On 30 July, Bergman passes away at his home on the island of Fårö aged 89. Bergman is buriedon the island, which served as the location for Through a Glass Darkly.19Resource Pack: Through A Glass Darkly by Ingmar Bergman
The following is an excerpt from The beginning, the end and almost everythingin between: Bergman and Dramaten, by Dag Kronlund, Head of Archives andLibrary, Dramaten. It is taken from Ingmar Bergman International TheatreFestival 2009 programme, at which the Almeida Theatre presented a rehearsedreading of an earlier draft of Through a Glass Darkly.In his autobiography The Magic Lantern Ingmar Bergman described the great impression theSwedish fairy tale Big Claus and Little Claus made on him as a twelve year-old in 1930: ‘I rememberevery detail: the lights, the set, the sunrise over the small elves in national costumes, the boat onthe river, the old church with St Peter as doorkeeper.’ It was Christmas and it was the first timeBergman saw a performance at Dramaten.He would often return to his seat in the upper circle: ‘Occasionally over the years, in the quiet hourbetween rehearsals and performance, I used to go and sit in the old seat and give in to nostalgia,feeling with every beat of my pulse that this impractical and faded place was really my home.’ Hisrelationship with Dramaten was deep and life-long. Or to use his own words, ‘the beginning and theend and almost everything in between.’Bergman, who directed over 120 productions during his lifetime, was appointed Head of Dramatenin January 1963. Bergman certainly stirred things up. More actors were employed and a six-day-weekwas introduced, another stage was added, the actors were given influence over repertoire andcasting and were allowed to appoint representatives, salaries were greatly increased and the dramaschool was turned over to the State.During his three years as head of Dramaten Bergman directed seven productions. The onlyperformance he was pleased with was Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, in 1964. Bergman opted for a radicalapproach. No cluttered, ‘Ibsenesque’ middle class setting with heavy furniture, velvet curtains,carpets and plants. Only the bare essentials: plain, dark red flats, a couch, a cupboard, a mirror anda piano. It was the characters, their expectations and their conflicts that were important.At the age of seventeen in 1935, night after night Bergman watched Strindberg’s A Dream Play froma hide-out backstage. He described the experience as ‘combustive’. Bergman himself directed theplay for the first time at Dramaten in 1970. He removed the mystique, the weight of religiousruminations and most of the theatrical ballast. The play was performed on an empty stage wherethe black concrete walls, light battens and spotlights became prominent features. The scenerysimply consisted of a chair, a table and a few grey flats.Ingmar BergmanBergman staged another two Strindbergs, Ghost Sonata in 1973 and To Damascus in 1974, and in1976 began rehearsals for The Dance of Death, which were do abruptly interrupted by the tax police.The dramatic consequences resulted in a period of self-imposed exile. He was not to direct anotherplay – Shakespeare’s King Lear – at Dramaten until 1984.Then followed an emphasis on the classics: Strindberg, Shakespeare, Molière, Ibsen, O’Neill andEuripides; with some contemporary names too, for example, Mishima, Strauss, Tabori andGombrowicz.Bergman said that the production that was closest to his heart, was Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale in1994. It is not hard to understand. The slightly curved back wall featured the windows in the MarbleFoyer and details were taken from the auditorium. In the ceiling was Carl Larsson’s painting TheCreation of the Drama, with its sky, branches and green foliage. The set design was a fantasyinspired by the theatre building itself where stage and auditorium cunningly reflected each other.The production turned into a tribute to Dramaten, the theatre and the building; the exceptionalplace that Bergman had discovered during the Christmas of 1930, a place he would never forget.Resource Pack: Through A Glass Darkly by Ingmar Bergman 20
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Page 5 and 6: SynopsisRuth WilsonPhoto: Simon Ann
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Page 9 and 10: Ian McElhinneyPhoto: Simon AnnandMy
Page 11 and 12: Ruth WilsonPhoto: Simon Annandpsych
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Page 15 and 16: Ian McElhinney, Dimitri Leonidas, R
Page 17 and 18: DesignClockwise from top left: Mode
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Page 27 and 28: Three Spheres of ConflictINTERNALCO
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Page 31 and 32: AP: Does it make your job easier do
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Page 35 and 36: Ruth Wilson in rehearsalPhoto: Brid
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Page 41 and 42: Ruth WilsonPhoto: Simon Annandwould
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Page 45 and 46: Duration: 30 minutesAim: To encoura
Page 47 and 48: SCRIPT EXTRACT #1 (Exercise 2)Scene
Page 49 and 50: David:What about Karin?Martin: Abou
Page 51 and 52: Script Extract #2 (Exercise 3)From
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Through a Glass Darkly - Almeida Theatre

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