Trisha Shetty (Editor)

The Shape of the Table

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Originally published
  
1990

Author
  
David Edgar

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Similar
  
The Prisoner's Dilemma, How Plays Work, Testing the echo, Written on the Heart, Edgar Plays: 3: Teendrea

The Shape of the Table is a theatrical drama written by David Edgar. It was first staged at the National Theatre, London, UK on 8 November 1990 - the first anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall - in a production directed by Jenny Killick.

The play is a powerful depiction of a fictional Eastern European nation's transitional journey from stoic Communist leadership to a more Western style democracy. The timing of the original staging to coincide with the first anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall, and thus the Communist regime, marked the first in a trilogy of dramas Edgar had written on the theme of negotiation in the region. Other plays include Pentecost and The Prisoner's Dilemma.

The title of the play refers to a controversial incident surrounding negotiations held during the Vietnam War. Diplomats from the US, Saigon and Communist leaders took much time deciding the seating positions of delegates before discussions could even begin.

References

The Shape of the Table Wikipedia