19:45, Tue 1st – Sat 5th March 2005 at ADC Theatre
Lent Week 6

In 1529 two worlds collided – lands were colonised, people were enslaved and thousands upon thousands were slaughtered.

Francisco Pizarro is a man disillusioned by life. Jaded, faithless and cynical, he is driven only by his hope of achieving lasting fame, and so recruits a motley group of no-hopers to join his last voyage to the New World in search of gold, prestige and a place in the annals of history. Instead of the primitive communities they anticipate however, they encounter the Incas – an empire of millions, subjugated by their divine ruler, Atahuallpa; the god-king, the son of the Sun. As the fate of the two men becomes intertwined, Pizarro’s personal confl ict between his hubris and his new-found faith reaches a captivating and ultimately tragic climax.

Based on factual historical accounts, this is the story of the first contact between the Spanish conquistadors and the Incas of Peru, given life by Shaffer’s compelling play. A true spectacle, involving ‘not only words, but rites, mimes, masks and magics’, this production captures the thrilling allure of the empires of the New World – and the harrowing consequences of conflict and conquest.