The Lives of Others

A stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning 2007 German film, written and directed by Robert Icke, following a writer and an actor in 1980s East Germany who are placed under state watch. It is staged at the Adelphi Theatre in London.

The drama is set in East Germany in 1984, where a writer and an actor find their lives under state observation. A Stasi officer listens in from the attic above their flat, searching for evidence of dissent, and the story turns on how the watcher is affected by the people he is tracking. Based on Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's film, the production is written and directed by Robert Icke, an Olivier Award winner, and examines artistic censorship, state surveillance and the connection between art and politics.

The cast is led by Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson. Knightley is an Academy Award nominee, Dillane an Emmy Award winner and Thompson an Olivier Award nominee, and each appears in this stage version.

The production is presented at the Adelphi Theatre on The Strand in central London for a limited run. Performances with audio description, captions and British Sign Language interpretation are scheduled within that run, which suits audiences who need these access options.