Artistic director Rupert Goold has announced the Almeida Theatre’s new season.
Highlights include:
- Simon Russell Beale takes the title role in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins
- For the first time, the Almeida collaborates with National Theatre Live to broadcast The Tragedy of King Richard the Second on 15 January 2019 to cinemas in the UK and internationally
- The world premiere of Shipwreck, a new play by Anne Washburn, directed by Rupert Goold
- Almeida associate director Rebecca Frecknall and Patsy Ferran reunite, following Summer and Smoke, for Chekhov’s Three Sisters, in a new version by Cordelia Lynn
- The world premiere stage adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg’s acclaimed film The Hunt, adapted by David Farr and directed by Rupert Goold
- Tinuke Craig directs a new version of Maxim Gorky’s Vassa, adapted by Mike Bartlett
Rupert Goold said: “It is incredibly exciting to be announcing this slate of work today, featuring artists new to the theatre, alongside names more familiar to the Almeida.
The season begins with two plays which explore the seduction of power, one written at the end of the 16th century about an English king and one hot-off-the-press digging into the current American political culture. The former sees director Joe Hill-Gibbins return to the theatre, following his compelling production of Little Revolution in 2014, alongside Simon Russell Beale, who played Macbeth here in 2005, in a role that has been waiting for him. The latter brings the fearlessly original Anne Washburn back to the Almeida after Mr Burns and The Twilight Zone.
“Next up, we are thrilled to be reuniting Rebecca Frecknall and Patsy Ferran, following their sensational production of Summer and Smoke earlier this year (and soon to open in the West End) for a new version of Three Sisters written by Cordelia Lynn.”
The production of Three Sisters will also see the return of the Almeida’s annual Almeida For Free festival. The two previous festivals, during Summer and Smoke and Hamlet, saw 2,300 people aged 25 and under attend a performance for free.
There will also be a new Youth Advisory Board, a group of young people aged between 18-25, which will advise on key areas of the company’s work.
The Almeida’s Summer and Smoke opens at the Duke of York’s Theatre in November and spring 2019 will see its production of James Graham’s Ink head to Broadway.
At a glance…
The Tragedy of King Richard the Second
10 December 2018 to 2 February 2019 (press night is 18 December)
Simon Russell Beale plays Shakespeare’s King Richard II in a new production about the limits of power, directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins.
Shipwreck
11 February to 30 March 2019 (press night is 19 February)
Anne Washburn returns to the Almeida with the world premiere of her new play, directed by Almeida artistic director Rupert Goold.
An old farmhouse upstate. Snow is falling. Mountains are falling. Something is breaking apart. You are formally invited to dinner with the 45th president of the United States.
Three Sisters
8 April to 1 June 2019 (press night is 16 April)
Following her critically acclaimed production of Summer and Smoke, Almeida associate director Rebecca Frecknall directs Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters in a new adaptation by Cordelia Lynn, starring Patsy Ferran and Pearl Chanda. Part of the Almeida For Free Festival during the week commencing 27 May.
The Hunt
17 June to 3 August 2019 (press night is 26 June)
Almeida artistic director Rupert Goold directs the world premiere of The Hunt by David Farr, based on the critically acclaimed Danish film thriller Jagten, by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm.
We are a small community. The happiness of our children is everything. Our hopes and dreams rest in these tiny souls.
Vassa
7 October to 23 November 2019 (press night is 15 October)
Tinuke Craig makes her Almeida debut with a new production of Maxim Gorky’s play, adapted by multi award-winning playwright Mike Bartlett.
The father is dying. The son is spying. The wife is cheating. The uncle is stealing. The mother is scheming. The dynasty is crumbling.
