Against a backdrop of fear, surveillance and political violence, the play explores the absurdity of tyranny, the courage of resistance and the enduring power of art to speak truth when words cannot.

A new play which premieres at Park Theatre on 27 August and runs until 10 October, is set to explore the life and music of Dmitri Shostakovich. Holy Fool by Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers explores the tightrope he walked to stay in favour with Stalin, whilst resisting his tyrannical regime through music.

The play spans roughly 1936 to 1973, beginning with Stalin's attendance at Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Bolshoi and the subsequent denunciation that transformed Shostakovich's life. It then follows him through the years of censorship, war, political pressure and artistic compromise, right through to the later years of his life. 

Rather than a conventional biographical drama, the play is about the moral choices artists face under authoritarian rule, and asks whether survival itself can become a form of resistance. 

Shostakovich's music plays a central role in the drama, not just Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk but Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9. The long-suppressed Fourth Symphony becomes an important dramatic thread running through the play, representing both his artistic integrity and the personal cost of creating under Stalin's regime.

The play came about partly as a result of Rosalind Adler working on a play with Simon Russell Beale in mind. A meeting with him in his dressing room led her to ask him, "What subject would interest you more than any other?" His reply was instant: "Shostakovich."

Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers had already worked together on other projects and found they enjoyed collaborating. Whilst neither knew more than a bare minimum about Shostakovich, Sellers' degree was in Russian Studies and she also has a musical family. But the work also included mountains of research.

Rosalind Adler comments that "We enjoyed the picture that emerged of a generous, anxious, shy, brave man. We also fell in love with his music, both as an expression of his deepest self and as a response to the times he lived in. Our play is full of music...The more we felt deeply involved in Shostakovich's life and relationships, the more we relished working on the play. While being faithful to the facts, so many of which are dramatic in themselves, we also chose to test the character by pitting him against challenges and characters we invented."

Dramaturg Ali Bodin-Saphir also worked on tightening the script, and Kate Fahy directs.

Full details from the Park Theatre website.