No longer booking
  • Venue Royal Court Theatre, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 26 August 2023
  • Running time 80 minutes (no interval)
  • Age guidelines 14+

★★★★ “Playful, thoughtful, and deliciously up-to-the-minute” – Evening Standard

The Royal Court presents Word-Play – an exploration of language and the power of political speak.

Rabiah Hussain’s new play, directed by Nimmo Ismail, explores how language seeps into public consciousness and reverberates with far reaching consequences that will last for generations.

Playwright Rabiah Hussain said: “Word-Play unpacks the power of political language. And explores how it travels across society, landing in different places before seeping into the public consciousness.

You can expect the play to be everything that words themselves are – light, heavy, powerful and questioning.“

Word-Play was developed whilst Rabiah Hussain was on attachment as part of the Royal Court Theatre and Kudos Writing Fellowship in 2019.

Word-Play runs from 20 July 2023 until 26 August 2023 at the Royal Court Theatre, London.

“We’ve got another 10 minutes before shit really hits the fan.”

In the Downing Street Press Office an emergency meeting has been called. The Prime Minister has been ad-libbing on live tv (again) and his words are going viral. There is a flurry of accusations, and demands for an apology; but as the team debate what to do next, it’s already too late. His words have found their way to dinner parties, bus journeys and newspaper columns across the nation – and not everyone is angry.

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Performance Information

Check booking calendar for full details

Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of Word-Play?

The cast features Issam Al Ghussain, Kosar Ali, Simon Manyonda, Sirine Saba and Yusra Warsama.

Who are the creative team of Word-Play?

Written by Rabiah Hussain. Word-Play is directed by Nimmo Ismail with design by Rosanna Vize and lighting design by Jamie Platt. The composer and sound designer is XANA, the movement director is Ken Nakajima and the casting director is Isabella Odoffin. The voice coach is Emma Woodvine, the assistant director is Aneesha Srinivasan and the associate designer is Alys Whitehead.

Important Notes

Assisted Performances:

Captioned: Wed 16 Aug, 7.45pm, Sat 26 Aug, 3pm

Relaxed Environment: Sat 19 Aug, 3pm

Post-show Talk Wed 2 Aug – A Q&A with writer Rabiah Hussain. This event is free with a ticket to that evening’s performance.

Venue Information

Royal Court Theatre , Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AS

Nearest Tube or Train: Sloane Square (Circle Line, District Line)

Nearest Buses: 19, 22, 319, C1, N19, N22, 137, 452

Directions

Google Apple

Critics' reviews of Word-Play

★★★★ "Playful, thoughtful, and deliciously up-to-the-minute" - Evening Standard

"Rabiah Hussain’s fascinating new play" - TimeOut

"Amusing and original" - Guardian

Also see: Word-Play Reviews Round-up

Frequently Asked Questions

Word-Play is playing at the Royal Court Theatre in London
The running time of Word-Play is 80 minutes (no interval)
The age recommendations for Word-Play are: 14+
Yes, Word-Play has matinee performances on the following days: Thursday, Saturday
No, sorry, Word-Play has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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