The Lower Depths at MMU’s Capitol Theatre

Written by Maxim Gorky, The Lower Depths depicts the life in a Russian dosshouse. It was first stage in Moscow Art Theatre in 1902 and since has been established as a classic and recognised as one of the 20th Century’s great seminal works. The play deals with themes of harsh realism versus dramatic deceit as the characters choose to deceive themselves from the bleak reality of their condition. This adaption is directed by Madeleine Porter and stars Manchester Metropolitan University’s students currently on its acting courses. The first production of this harsh drama was directed and starred the brilliant Constantin Stanislavski‎, who created and developed the concept of ‘method acting’. Capitol Theatre is based in the heart of MMU and was originally used as a cinema and then television studios used by ITV and BBC. It is now a performance space for the University’s students. The MMU School of Theatre counts the likes of Steve Coogan, David Threlfall (Shameless) and Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter) among its alumni.

Wed 27 – Sat 30 Nov, Capitol Theatre, MMU Mabel Tylecote Building, Cavendish Street, M15 8BG, Wed, Fri, Sat 7.30pm, Thu 6pm, £8 (£5 concessions), www.capitoltheatre.mmu.ac.uk