This podcast was originally posted on December 11th, 2016.
The Christmas presentation for Berkeley Rep during the winter of 2015 to 2016 was Kneehigh Theatre’s production of 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, which was adapted and co-directed by Emma Rice, who at the time of this interview had recently left her position as Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London,
Currently in November 2020, she is artistic director of the theatre company Wise Children in Bristol England. During the pandemic, Wise Children has gone digital. Its next production, in association with Kneehigh and Bristol Old Vic is The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, which will be streamed live December 3rd through 5th from England, with a starting time of 11:30 am Pacific.
Emma Rice, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky.
Emma Rice is director/co-adaptor of “946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips,” a Kneehigh production which ran at Berkeley Rep through January 15th, 2016. For several years, Emma served as Artistic Director of Kneehigh, where she was also director of several shows that came through Berkeley Rep, including “Tristan and Yseult,” “The Wild Bride,” and “Brief Encounter.” Her work is known internationally for its unconventional story-telling and staging.
“The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips,” based on a popular children’s book by Michael Murpurgo, who joined with Emma in co-adapting his story, tells of a girl named Lily in 1944 and her search for her missing cat in an English village overrun with American soldiers preparing for the D-Day invasion. “946” refers to a tragic event that actually happened in the seas off Slapton and was excised from history for fifty years.