The Lady of Burma

Written by Richard Shannon

Directed by Richard Shannon and Owen Lewis

with Liana Gould as Aung San Suu Kyi

The Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis

Sunday 27 April 2008, 7 pm

Tickets: £10 - £12, 01297 442138 / www.marinetheatre.com

'She is my pin-up! She inspires me with her gentle determination… Men, armed to the teeth, are running scared of her. She has won, and they know they have lost.'

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on Aung San Suu Kyi

Following sell out performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and London’s Old Vic, Soho Theatre, and most recently Riverside Studios, the inspirational true story of Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi is touring the UK in Spring 2008.

Politician, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, mother and grandmother, Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader of the democratically-elected government of Burma, yet has endured house arrest for over a decade. Whatever you know or think about Burmese politics, THE LADY OF BURMA offers an intense and moving insight into the endurance of one woman’s sacrifice and spirited-determination in the quest for the freedom of a nation.

Co-director and writer Richard Shannon wrote THE LADY OF BURMA for actress Liana Gould to perform at a fundraising gala for the Burma Campaign UK at the Old Vic in November 2006. The play’s text draws upon a mixture of sources, from Suu Kyi’s own words and interviews Shannon undertook with her close associates in Burma to written material about Burma and Suu Kyi’s history. Co-director Owen Lewis’ credits include Johnson and Boswell: Late But Live by Stewart Lee (Traverse Theatre and forthcoming national tour) and What Would Judas Do and Got To Be Happy (The Bush Theatre).

The play enthralled audiences during Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007 and a performance at Soho Theatre in October followed as part of an International Day of Action for Burma, just as Suu Kyi’s home nation erupted in protest at the decades of civil rights abuse. A performance recently took place at the House of Commons, and one is planned at the European Parliament in Brussels. This is the first UK Tour and it is produced by James Seabright and Louise Chantal, in association with the Burma Campaign UK.

'Tells it all - and catches the pain and wry humour inside that

tiny frame and strong, wise face.' The Times

'A clever, effective script that requires little in the way of prior
knowledge of Burma to thoroughly entrance you.’ Metro

‘A compelling tribute to all those engaged in Burma’s continuing struggle for liberty, and to a truly inspiring human being’. The Times