The Prisoner of Chillon

English spoken performance.

The AATG (English Speaking Theater) is breathing new life into Lord Byron's masterpiece 'The Prisoner of Chillon'. Lord Byron, also known as “mad, wicked, and dangerous to know,” wrote his 392-line poem in 1816, telling the story of Bonivard, a freedom fighter imprisoned in Chillon Castle in Switzerland. It describes Bonivard's painful martyrdom for his courageously defended religious beliefs. The AATG's One Act play is a unique adaptation of one of the most beautiful and powerful works in the English language.

After the break there will be a reading of another masterpiece by fellow Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Masque of Anarchy. Shelley wrote his biting satire after being shocked by the brutal suppression, dubbed the 'Peterloo Massacre', of a peaceful protest meeting at St Peter's Field in Manchester. Shelley's fever dream is perhaps the first modern statement of the principle of nonviolent resistance. This will be followed by a short Q&A with the director.