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Join us for a play reading, classic Danish food (with an east-London twist) and conversations about all things theatre in translation.

For two nights only, we’ll be presenting a rehearsed reading of the highly-acclaimed Danish play The Earth’s Core (Jordens Indre) by Simone Isabel Nørgaard, translated by our very own Paul Russell Garrett.

Inspired by literary salons of old, the readings will take place in Batch Baby café at the Rose Lipman Building. And to set the mood, they’ll be serving up a range of drinks as well as some Scandi-inspired smørrebrød.

In true Foreign Affairs style, we’ll round off the evening with a few drinks and a post-show talk, and we’re excited to be joined by playwright Simone Isabel Nørgaard on both evenings!

Wed 22 & Thu 23 Mar

Venue:
Rose Lipman Building

Time:
19:30 (bar & doors 18:30)

Tickets:
Pay What You Can

Running time:
Approx. 2.5 hours including breaks (reading & post-show talk)

Latecomers:
We always do our best to admit latecomers during breaks in the performance, but late admission can’t be guaranteed.

book now

the earth’s core

by Simone Isabel Nørgaard
translated by Paul Russell Garrett

In 1936 Inge Lehmann solves one of science’s great mysteries about the Earth’s inner core. Lehmann dedicates her life to science but never receives full recognition for her massive discovery and contributions, remaining largely unknown in her native Denmark.

The Earth’s Core (2020) brings Lehmann’s story to life, in a play about women and science in the twentieth century. We see Lehmann up close, in her personal struggles, with those closest to her, and with the outside world. A forgotten fate unfolds into a drama spanning both decades and continents.

Post-show talks

It wouldn’t be a Foreign Affairs event without a post-show talk and a chance for you to ask questions. We’re so excited to be bringing Simone Isabel Nørgaard all the way from Denmark, giving us plenty of opportunity to talk about the play, its inspiration, as well as the process of translation and staging it in its new home.

We hope you’ll enjoy!

Wednesday 22 March
Chair: William Gregory
Speakers: Simone Isabel Nørgaard and Trine Garrett (director)

Thursday 23 March
Chair: Almiro Andrade
Speakers Simone Isabel Nørgaard and Paul Russell Garrett (translator)

Access information

The readings will take place in the Batch Baby café situated on the ground floor of the Rose Lipman Building (not a purpose-built theatre space).

The building is wheelchair accessible with a ramp leading to the main entrance on the ground floor where accessible toilets are also situated.

If you require the support of a companion or carer, we can offer you a companion ticket free of charge. Please contact team@foreignaffairs.org.uk to book.

Address

Rose Lipman Building
43 De Beauvoir Road
London
N1 5 SQ

: ensemble

David Djemal: Harold Jeffreys, Chorus, Guard, Lecturer 2, Child 3

Debbie Terry: Inge Lehmann

Dominic Goldberg: Niels Bohr, Chorus, Alfred Lehmann, Lecturer 1, Child 1

Lilian Tsang: Esther Nielsen, Chorus, Girl, Wife 1, British Radio Voice

Sojourner Hazelwood-Connell: Harriet Lehmann, Chorus, Wife 2, Child 2, Danish Radio Voice

: production team

Creative Producers
Camila França & Trine Garrett

Director
Trine Garrett

With special thanks …

Supported by the Danish Arts Foundation.

The events are presented in collaboration with Batch Baby, supported by Mill Co. and the Rose Lipman Building, Haggerston.

The readings are presented by arrangement with Simone Isabel Nørgaard (playwright) and Paul Russell Garrett (translator).

Batch Baby

Independently owned and operated, Tom and Saskia opened the doors of Batch Baby in the autumn of 2021 and we’ve been hooked on their coffee and delicious toasties ever since.

We’re thrilled to be working with their team! They’ve put together an amazing menu for our event of Danish-style smørrebrød in honour of our play.

At their simplest, smørrebrød is an open-faced sandwich built on a slice of rye. The name of the sandwich comes from the words for butter (smør) and bread (brød).

Batch Baby will also be running the bar, which will be open all evening. So whether you’re hungry or not, be sure to arrive in good time as they have a real knack for sourcing scintillating drinks (including fancy non-alcoholic ones).

Smørrebrød menu:

  • Beetroot hummus, avocado, pickled onion £4.50
  • Prawn egg Skagen £4.50
  • Cured beef, remoulade, crispy fried shallots £4.50

All served with a side red cabbage slaw.

Food will be available before the reading from 18:30 to 19:30 and is only available to order in advance (last order Tuesday 21st at noon).

Like us, they’re a micro business so it’s a lot easier (and a lot better for the environment) – thanks for understanding!

PWYC scheme

We strive to make our work as accessible as possible and we continue to look for new ways to break down barriers. Since 2018 all in-house productions, events and training programmes have either been free or part of our Pay What You Can scheme.

How does it work?

For all paid activities, there are multiple options and you can choose to pay a price that works for you at the moment.

To help you decide, we highlight a recommended price. This recommended price reflects industry standards (and what we’d “normally” charge) and anything above that allows us to continue our PWYC scheme.

Foreign Affairs is a small non-profit organisation and we receive no regular funding. We appreciate your honesty and generosity when choosing your PWYC option.

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