The Royal Court Theatre

Vicki Featherstone, Royal Court theatre Artistic Director, announces Autumn season. The Royal Court theatre has announced its August 2015 til January 2016 Autumn season. Highlights include: Lela & Co, Cordelia Lyn’s debut play Martin McDonagh’s first new play in London for over 10 years – Hangmen Nicola Wilson’s Royal Court debut play Plaques and Tangles Roosevelvis by Brooklyn based ensemble TEAM. Kim Cattrall  stars in Linda, a new play by Penelope Skinner Korean-American playwright Mia Chung’s UK premiere of You For Me For You Vicki Featherstone said “From the return of Martin McDonagh to theatre with a hilarious and dark new play, to Mia Chung’s play about North Korean sisters fleeing the regime, this autumn is a season which purely encompasses all that the Royal Court is about. Whether from the more experienced writer or the brand new, like Cordelia Lynn and Nicola Wilson, this is the very best in fearless and excoriating writing for theatre. These plays start a conversation which probe and provoke, asking questions of our time and ourselves. Created and programmed in an environment which fiercely supports the writer to be individual and questioning, these six plays are dynamic, incredibly theatrically and stylistically varied. Yet all in some way deal with transgression – of crossing a line, of a non-acceptance of who we are or what we are forced to become. I am particularly proud to announce our first ever relaxed performance for adults for Linda – Penelope Skinner’s extraordinary new play about a 55 year old woman and her fight to remain visible in her world. I’m delighted too to develop our relationship in our Beyond the Court programme with a thrilling series of summer events led by some of our most exciting artists and communities in Tottenham. I am also excited to welcome the TEAM to the Royal Court for the first time with RooseElvis – a brilliantly performed and devised piece about gender, boundaries and dreaming to be other.” PRODUCTIONS Lela & Co. Playing from 3 September 2015 until 3 October 2015 in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs First-time Royal Court playwright Cordelia Lynn teams up with director Jude Christian to bring this urgent and poetic story based on true life events in Albania. STORY "As for what came next, things unspoken and untold until now, it happened like this..." In the beginning was the mattress. Gradually, other little changes - more bolts on the front door; the gun; the locked cupboard. And she knew in her heart that change was bad. The story of a young girl trapped in an increasingly tiny world. “Thank you for your interest in Lela & Co. Please feel free to take a feedback form on your way out..." Lela & Co by Cordelia Lynn , Directed by Jude Christian, design by Ana Inés Jabares Pita, lighting by Oliver Fenwick and sound by David McSeveney. Conceived and Developed by Desara Bosnja and 1989 Productions. Hangmen Playing from 10 September 2015 until 10 October 2015 in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs Martin McDonagh returns to the Royal Court with his first UK play in over ten years. directed by Matthew Dunster, Hangman is designed by Anna Fleischle, with lighting by Joshua Carr and sound by Ian Dickinson. STORY 'I'm just as good as bloody Pierrepoint' In his small pub in Oldham, Harry is something of a local celebrity. But what's the second-best hangman in England to do on the day they've abolished hanging? Amongst the cub reporters and sycophantic pub regulars dying to hear Harry’s reaction to the news, a peculiar stranger lurks, with a very different motive for his visit. 'Don't worry. I may have my quirks but I'm not an animal. Or am I? One for the courts to discuss.' Plaques and Tangles Playing from 14 October 2015 until 21 November 2015 in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs Nicola Wilson’s Royal Court debut Plaques and Tangles explores one woman’s life with early onset Alzheimer’s. Directed Lucy Morrison with design by Andrew D. Edwards and lighting by Anna Watson STORY “I do not accept there is anything wrong with me” Days before her wedding Megan discovers she has a 50-50 chance of developing early onset Alzheimer’s. Years later she’s offered a genetic test. But if she's got the gene does she really want to know? Megan, 21. Megan, 47. Megan, 32. Megan, 27. One woman lurches through time on a wild memory trip while her young family deal with the consequences. "I can’t think. But I still feel. And most of the time I feel scared. Scared because it’s too soon. I haven’t finished yet." RoosevElvis Playing from 21 October 2015 until 14 November 2015 in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. The TEAM is a Brooklyn-based ensemble dedicated to creating new work about the experience of living in America today. Once described as “Gertrude Stein meets MTV,” the TEAM’s work crashes American history and mythology into modern stories to illuminate the current moment. The company combines aggressive athleticism with emotional performances and intellectual rigor, keeping the brain, eyes and heart of the audience constantly stimulated. The TEAM’s RoosevElvis is written by Rachel Chavkin, Libby King, Jake Margolin, and Kristen Sieh. Created in collaboration with Matt Hubbs, Andrew Schneider, and Nick Vaughan. It is performed by Libby King and Kristen Sieh. Rachel Chavkin directs. STORY On a hallucinatory road trip from the Badlands to Graceland, the spirits of Elvis Presley and Theodore Roosevelt battle over the soul of Ann, a painfully shy meat-processing plant worker, and what kind of man or woman Ann should become. Set against the boundless blue skies of the Great Plains and endless American highway, RoosevElvis is a new work about gender, appetite, and the multitudes we contain. < Linda Playing from 25 November 2015 until 9 January 2016 in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs Starring Kim Cattrall in Penelope Skinner's new play Linda.   STORY “I’m an award-winning business woman. I’m happily married with two beautiful daughters and I still fit in the same size ten dress suit I did fifteen years ago. What could possibly threaten me?” Linda Wilde has dedicated her life to changing the world. She’s won awards for her efforts, at the same time as working hard to become an inspiring mother, and an independent, loving wife. Now, at 55, she seems to have it all. But Linda isn’t satisfied. She’s a woman in her prime and she’s embarking on her most ambitious plan to date. Beneath the surface, the cracks are starting to show. "Old for a woman means worthless. Invisible. Of course we’re terrified. You tell us we peak at sixteen and it’s downhill all the way from there. Well I haven’t worked this hard to be pushed aside at the last hurdle. I refuse to be silenced. I will not disappear. I am Linda Wilde. And I'm still here!" You For Me For You Playing from 3 December 2015 until 9 January 2016 in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs Directed by Richard Twyman, Korean-American playwright Mia Chung’s play has its UK première in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. STORY Trees don’t have ears. How are you so sure? As they attempt to flee the Best Nation in the World, North Korean sisters Minhee and Junhee are torn apart at the border. Each must race across time and space to be together again - navigating the perilous Land of the Free and the treacherous terrain of personal belief. Food has learned to sprint. Money is so fast it doesn’t wait to be printed. Gossip travels swifter than germs.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"] Vicky Featherstone[/caption] Royal Court Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone announces the Spring 2015 season. Vicky Featherstone, Artistic Director of the Royal Court announces the Spring 2015 season.  Featherstone said; “The plays in this season seem to be all about society – the big themes of how we live together as a community in an ordered way with shared laws, morals and desires and the challenges that brings.  The work over the next few months continues our commitment to make questioning and challenging theatre, with the writers giving us insight into the world around us in morally complex and innovative ways." Highlights include: Who Cares by Michael Wynne, a new verbatim play examining one of the most important issues on the public agenda, the NHS debbie tucker green returns to the Royal Court to direct her new play hang, a morally challenging and taut three-hander Gary Owen makes his Royal Court debut with Violence And Son, a brilliant exploration of a father and son relationship After great success in the West End and on Broadway, Nick Payne’s Constellations embarks on a regional tour Who Cares [caption id="attachment_35397" align="alignright" width="240"] Who Cares at the Royal Court[/caption] by Michael Wynne directed by Debbie Hannan, Lucy Morrison and Hamish Pirie 10 April 2015 – 16 May 2015 Jerwood Theatre Upstairs “A phrase we used to use: it is the best gift the British people have given to themselves. Because it is. No one else has done this.” The NHS belongs to us. In the run-up to the 2015 General Election the NHS is emerging as the key issue in the party political agenda. The Royal Court is responding to that public passion and debate by staging Michael Wynne’s new verbatim play Who Cares. Over the past 18 months Michael Wynne has interviewed nurses, doctors, paramedics, historians, policy makers and politicians up and down the country, gathering an unrivalled collection of verbatim testimonies from those connected to every aspect of the NHS. Taking over the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs as well as hidden spaces around the building, this journeying performance will give voice to the unheard perspectives on the past, present and possible future of our NHS. In a promenade performance audiences will be led around intimate spaces by a cast of professional actors. This is a standing, promenade performance. If you are unable to stand or have access requirements please speak to a member of Box Office when booking on 020 7565 5000. Debbie Hannan, Lucy Morrison and Hamish Pirie will each direct parts of the production. Design will be by Andrew D Edwards, lighting design by Natasha Chivers and sound design by Daniel Krass. The cast includes Philip Arditti, Robert Bathurst, Elizabeth Berrington, Paul Hickey, Martina Laird, Nathaniel Martello-White and Eileen O’Brien.   [caption id="attachment_35398" align="alignright" width="240"] Hang by debbie tucker green[/caption] hang written and directed by debbie tucker green  11 June 2015 –  18 July 2015 Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, "Fuck your sympathy and keep it with your sorrys." A crime has been committed.  The victim has a choice to make. The criminal is waiting. A shattering new play about an unspeakable decision. debbie tucker green returns to the Royal Court to direct her new play hang.  The cast includes Marianne Jean-Baptiste who makes her Royal Court debut and Claire Rushbrook. hang is designed by Jon Bausor, with lighting design by Tim Mitchell, music composition by Luke Sutherland, sound design by Christopher Shutt and movement by Polly Bennett.     [caption id="attachment_35399" align="alignright" width="240"] Violence and Son[/caption] Violence and Son by Gary Owen directed by Hamish Pirie 03 June 2015 –11 July 2015 Jerwood Theatre Upstairs “People know, you're my boy. And they know better than to lay a fucking finger on you. See? You are safer here with me, than you have ever been.” Liam’s 17 years old, loves Dr Who and has lost his mum. He has had to move from London to Wales, to the valleys, to the middle of nowhere, to live with a dad he doesn’t know. Whose nickname isn’t Violence for nothing. Gary Owen’s intimate new play is about what parents pass on and trying to do the right thing. The production is designed by Cai Dyfan with lighting design by Lizzie Powell. Welsh playwright Gary Owen makes his Royal Court debut with Violence and Son.     Royal Court: UK Tour Constellations by Nick Payne directed by Michael Longhurst Following sold-out runs at the Royal Court Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway, the award winning Constellations tours the UK in Spring 2015. Quantum multiverse theory, love and honey. Constellations is an explosive play about free will and friendship from one of the leading voices in UK theatre, Nick Payne. Sparked by the first encounter of bee-keeping Roland and scientist Marianne, the boundless potential of their connection leads us through a heart-breaking love story of endless invention. The production is designed by Tom Scutt with lighting design by Lee Curran. The composer is Simon Slater, sound design is by David McSeveney and movement by Lucy Cullingford. Tour Dates: New Victoria Theatre, Woking 14 May 2015 – 16 May 2015; Liverpool Playhouse 19 May 2015 – 23 May 2015; Bristol Old Vic 27 May 2015 – 30 May 2015; Nuffield; Cambridge Arts Theatre 16 June 2015 – 20  June 2015; Richmond Theatre 23 June 2015 – 27 June 2015; Theatre Royal Brighton 30 June 2015 – 4 July 2015

Casting is announced for the Royal Court production of Roald Dahl’s The Twits. Casting is announced today for Roald Dahl’s The Twits directed by John Tiffany. Mischievously adapted from Roald Dahl’s story, Enda Walsh turns The Twits upside down and brings this revolting revolution to the Royal Court’s stage.  Jason Watkins and Monica Dolan will play Mr and Mrs Twit, Sam Cox will play Yorkshire Terrier Man, Cait Davis will play Monkey Mum, Aimée-Ffion Edwards will play Monkey Daughter, Christine Entwisle will play Tattooed Fortune Teller Lady, Oliver Llewellyn-Jenkins will play Monkey Son, Glyn Pritchard will play Monkey Father and Dwane Walcott will play Shy Waltzer Boy. The Twits is directed by John Tiffany. Steven Hoggett is associate director and movement director, Martin Lowe is the composer and musical supervisor, design is by Chloe Lamford, lighting by Philip Gladwell and sound by Gregory Clarke. The Twits will play for a strictly limited run from 7 April 2015 until 31 May 2015 at the Royal Court Theatre. STORY Mr and Mrs Twit are not very nice. In fact they’re extremely nasty. They’re nasty to each other, and they’re VILE to everyone else. They hold a family of monkeys hostage in a cage and force them to stand on their heads. ALL THE TIME. We told you they weren’t very nice. Can the monkeys find a way to show those vicious Twits what for? BOOK Booking opens soon - check back for details. SIGN UP to our offer alerts to be the first to hear about booking >