Ivo Van Hove's After the Rehearsal/Persona, Barbican

As director Ivo van Hove's Barbican residency ends the distinction between fiction and reality will be scrutinised in a double bill based on the films of Ingmar Bergman. Rehearsal/Persona re-imagines the messy lives of thespians, as portrayed in Bergman's screenplays, in two new pieces of theatre presented with van Hove's characteristic daring.

The double bill starts with After the Rehearsal, a story about a controlling director obsessed with his work. Next, Persona is about a famous actress who suddenly becomes mute. This Barbican premiere will be staged on a set that shifts from minimalist to 'scenically breathtaking'. Both plays will be performed by Amsterdam's Toneelgroep theatre company in Dutch with English surtitles.

Van Hove is vocal about his enthusiasm for Bergman's films and has already said that of the double bill ‘I consider this production one of our best ever made'. We look forward to seeing how the dramaturge transforms them for the stage. Fans of the avant-garde director, book fast; this double bill is only in London for four performances.