"Midway upon the road of our life
I found myself in a dark wood,
For the clear path had been lost..."
The words of Dante Alighieri in the fourteenth century. The midlife crisis; the eternal student travelling on forever, lost and without purpose; the nomad who sees nothing in society but degradation. Those times the demons make uncertain the paths we all travel. Dante's story is as relevant now - in these ever-changing, uncertain times in which the majority of us face an uncertain and unsecured future: job losses, education cuts, unemployment rising - as in the violent world of the 1300s.
The story is well transported to a modern setting. Finding a place, finding a path, is hacking a trail in the dark wood; and so Dante's journey is every man's journey, through life. As someone facing the prospect of entering the 'adult' world and the jungle of taxation, higher education, finding a career, I can sympathise with those aspects of the tale.
The actors from the NEW College and around Leeds have created a vibrant, and colourful experience that will entertain and challenge in equal measure. It's certainly been enjoyable to work with them. It's been, as it always is working with Steve, a blast to tell this tale of hell, resplendent with other-worldly characters and beings that resonate unerringly well with all-too-real characters from our own. They'll make you think, and they'll make you laugh.
So, what more is to be said? Come along and experience it for yourself. July. 23rd. Saturday. 8.30pm. Free. Join us on this event-filled voyage, have a taste of hell, and face down the demons with Dante in... Inferno.
