HOTEL METHUSELAH by Imitating the dog and Pete Brooks

Harry works as a night porter in a hotel in a city somewhere in Europe that’s in the throes of war. Despite the distant sounds of gunfire and shelling, he likes the calm and loneliness of his work. He’s thankful that all he has to do is book the guests in and show them to their rooms. But Harry has a problem and it’s one he’s desperately trying to solve. He can’t remember how he got to the hotel, or what he did before. He’s not even sure Harry’s his real name.

Hotel Methuselah is a contemporary ghost story that explores our fears around mortality, sexuality and the terrifying sense of responsibility that comes with having children. In a stunning homage to post-war British cinema and the French new wave, imitating the dog create a unique and disturbingly immersive experience for the audience. Telling the story of night porter Harry’s search to uncover the forgotten truth of his past, Hotel Methuselah is a searing tale of the destructive power of love and the hell of personal disintegration. Fusing spectacular live action and video projection, this is stylish, cutting edge visual performance that places narrative, emotion and wit at its core.

"…headily ambitious…technically and visually a treat…" – Guardian Unlimited

Hotel Methuselah has been commissioned through the New Works programme at Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster and has received funding from the Arts Council England.

Performers:

Amy: Morven Macbeth

Harry: Simon Wainwright

Weird Man: Richard Malcolm / Dominic Fitch

Weird Woman: Anna Wilson

Touring Technician

Andrew Crofts

imitating the dog formed in Leeds in 1998. They have produced five major touring works including Hotel Methuselah:Einmal ist Kenimal (once is never) (1999), Ark (2000), Guilty Pleasures (2001) and Five Miles and Falling (2002/3) as well as numerous smaller works and educational projects. imitating the dog projects are regularly funded by Arts Council England, alongside commissions by the Nuffield Theatre and Leeds Metropolitan Studio Theatre.

imitating the dog make performance work that experiments with the role of story-telling and narrative in the contemporary theatrical experience. They make innovative use of digital media, design and physical performance to create off-kilter worlds within which public and private obsessions - identity, death, love and sexuality - are explored.