ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Vesturport Theatre - Founded by 13 artists in 2001, Iceland-based Vesturport Theatre rose to international prominence when their Romeo & Juliet became a hit first at the Young Vic and later the West End in London. In April 2011, Vesturport was awarded the Europe Prize New Theatrical Realities XII in St. Petersburg where Faust and Metamorphosis were performed in connection with the award ceremony.

The Lyric Hammersmith is a theatre in London built in 1895, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions. It has two main performance areas: the Main House, a 550-seat 19th-century auditorium maintaining the original design which hosts its main productions; and the 120-seat Studio, which houses smaller productions by up-and-coming companies.
 

Franz Kafka (1883—1924) was born in Prague to a middle-class Jewish couple who spoke German in addition to Czech. His father was a traveling salesman who put great pressure on Franz; his mother was the well-educated child of a brew master. His two brothers died before the age of two, and his three sisters perished either in the Lodz Ghetto or at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II. Kafka received a law degree and worked as an insurance officer while pursuing his own writing. He published sparingly, producing three novels and a collection of short stories and novellas, including The Metamorphosis in 1915. He died of complications from tuberculosis, stating in his will that he wished his remaining works to be burned, a mandate overruled by his executor, who published Amerika, The Castle, and The Trial.