CHILDREN OF THE SUN Discussions and Excerpts from a Gate Studio Workshop

Originally published in 1905, Maxim Gorky’s rarely seen dark comedy Children of the Sun has been radically and brilliantly re-imagined by playwright Matthew Minnicino and director Marc Atkinson Borrull.

Gorky wrote the original play from a prison cell in St. Petersburg, while revolution boiled over in the streets outside, and a cholera epidemic swept across Russia. The play was initially banned by the Tsarist government, and when it premiered later that year, the sounds of a riot onstage ignited panic in an audience still grappling with national unrest.

As part of the Gate Studio, the play was workshopped remotely during the pandemic with an award-winning creative team and a cast of Irish and American actors. These extracts from the process, alongside a discussion with Matthew Minnicino and Marc Atkinson Borrull, offer unique and revealing insights into the ongoing development of this dynamic new theatrical work.

Listen via Soundcloud below and explore using the project’s visual notebook. Alternatively, listen on Spotify, iTunes or Podbean. Headphones are recommended for an optimal listening experience.