Dorian Gray

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Playing Soon

22 & 23 May in Groningen
29 & 30 May in Berlin
5 June in Amsterdam

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a play about outward appearances, the beauty of sincerity and the vulnerability of love.Our story follows Basil Hallward, a painter in Victorian London, as he meets Dorian Gray and is forever changed because of it. Being so infatuated by the man, he decides to make a portrait of him. When finished, the painting seems to have a strange effect on Dorian, aging in his stead. Not helping the matter is Lord Henry, who tells Dorian only his youth & beauty matters.Based on the book of the same name by Oscar Wilde, this play keeps much of the witty epigrams and evocative feeling of Victorian London.

"It is important to discuss stories like this one and characters like Basil Hallward, who has to hide a part of himself in order to be accepted. Today there are many people like that, who have to hide some vital part of themselves or risk ostracization or worse. We need to support these people now more than ever."

- Leon Pierik, writer & director

This play is made possible by the ideas, time and enthusiasm of volunteers. Theatre is our passion and we want to make art that matters to us - like this story about queerness and the importance of being safe to express who you are.This project is a cooperation between Alias Theater and The Loose Canon.

Any questions? Get in contact with us!

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About the project

Leon Pierik, writer & director, says:
"I read the book for the first time in Berlin, two years ago. It had been on my list for some time. The intense contrast between the spaces of the higher and lower classes described in the book was intensified by the surroundings in Berlin, where you can go from one street to the next and feel like you've entered an entirely different world. Traditional beauty versus a more grim reality.

The book absorbed me entirely.

Then I came to the character of Basil Hallward and his confession to Dorian. It was a heartbreaking experience reading the expression of his love for another man, though heavily censored in it's execution. It still ignited something in me. I knew something had to be done with this feeling.
So, I began writing an adaptation of the book into the script for a play. I discovered more about the book's history along the way, regarding the censoring of the queerness and violence depicted in the book, and tried to use that knowledge in the adaptation process. After the first draft, Jelke Ludolphij, my creative partner in crime joined in on the writing. He helped me tighten up the script, its themes, and the characterization. Now, after a two-year process of developing this project, we are finally ready to share it with the world.
Now, more than ever, it feels important to discuss stories like this one and characters like Basil Hallward, who has to hide a part of himself in order to be accepted. Today there are many people like that, who have to hide some vital part of themselves or risk ostracization or worse. We need to support these people now more than ever.
We look forward to all of you seeing this performance about (in)sincerity and the vulnerability of love."Arwen, who plays Sybil, says:
"I've loved the Picture of Dorian Gray since I first read it in highschool (I must have been 14?). As I got my degree in English literature I also came to appreciate Oscar Wilde for his use of aesthetic theory and masterful prose; he has a tendency to write phrases that are so intricate and beautiful I repeat them over and over again. Finally, I have to give many thanks and appreciation to Oscar Wilde for creating Basil and Sybil, characters which are very close to my heart. I love that they get to be

talented, sensitive, broken, beautiful, secure, insecure, artistic, and flawed.

But I must say, Lord Henry does make me giggle.
Dorian Gray is one of my favorite books, and I have read it so often my copy is falling apart at all the seams. Then there is no one I would trust more with adapting it for a play than Leon. Our conversations during the writing process made it clear that he is aware of the context the book comes from and which elements are important to preserve and which need to be adapted to communicate the message to a modern audience. Also, Sybil is a dream role but a vulnerable one, and I feel totally comfortable bringing her to life with Leon as a director.