Synopsis

A bare stage that transforms into a film set, where reality and fiction collide in a provocative exploration of art, authenticity, and exploitation

Louise, an ambitious actress, is preparing to play the role of Janet Adler, a deceased conceptual artist, in an upcoming biopic. Accompanied by her acting coach Sam, Louise breaks into the remote home of Adler and her partner Margaret Gibb, seeking to uncover intimate details about their life together. As Louise’s obsession with embodying Adler grows, the boundaries between performance and reality begin to blur, leading to a disturbing confrontation with Gibb and the ethical implications of their intrusion.

Tim Crouch’s innovative structure deconstructs theatrical conventions, using child actors, direct address, and a gradual shift from minimalist staging to a fully realised film set. The play’s layered exploration of themes such as artistic legacy, the commodification of art, and the ethics of biographical representation challenges audiences to question the nature of truth and authenticity in both art and life. Through its meta-theatrical devices and provocative narrative, Adler & Gibb offers a scathing critique of the entertainment industry’s tendency to exploit and distort real lives for commercial gain.