The Royal Court Theatre has announced its new season of work, running from February to August 2019.
Highlights include:
- the end of history… reuniting Harry Potter & The Cursed Child writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany (also a Royal Court associate director)
- seven methods of killing kylie jenner, written by Jasmine Lee-Jones and directed by Royal Court trainee director Milli Bhatia
- Cyprus Avenue, written by David Ireland and directed by Vicky Featherstone, makes its return to the Royal Court
- Superhoe, written and performed by Nicôle Lecky and directed by Jade Lewis in a co-production with Talawa Theatre Company
- Inside Bitch, conceived by Stacey Gregg and Deborah Pearson and devised by Lucy Edkins, Jennifer Joseph, TerriAnn Oudjar and Jade Small in a co-production with Clean Break
- Dismantle This Room, co-created by Royal Court trainee director Milli Bhatia, Ingrid Marvin and Nina Segal and produced in association with the Bush Theatre
Commenting on the new season, artistic director Vicky Featherstone said:
“Many of these artists have never worked with us before, many are at the start of their journey and others more experienced are returning to the very personal to make sense of where we are right now. We are honoured to give them our building.”
Royal Court season in more detail
Superhoe
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 30 January to 16 February 2019 (press night is 4 February 2019)
Talawa Theatre Company and the Royal Court Theatre present Superhoe, a new play by Nicôle Lecky, directed by Jade Lewis.
Sasha Clayton’s 24 and living with her mum, step-dad, and irritating little sister, in Plaistow. She’s gone from being the most popular girl at school, to spending most of her time on her own in her bedroom scrolling through social media, but she’s got talent and a dream. When she releases her first EP everything’s going to change.
Cyprus Avenue
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, 14 February to 16 March 2019 (Press night is 19 February)
Following sell-out runs at The Public Theater, New York, Ireland’s Abbey Theatre, TheMAC Belfast and the Royal Court Theatre, David Ireland’s critically-acclaimed black comedy Cyprus Avenue will return to the Royal Court for a limited four-week run, directed by Royal Court artistic director Vicky Featherstone. Stephen Rea will return with the production. Further cast to be announced.
Inside Bitch
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 27 February to 23 March 2019 (Press night is 4 March)
Clean Break and the Royal Court Theatre present Inside Bitch, a new play conceived by Stacey Gregg and Deborah Pearson and devised by Lucy Edkins, Jennifer Joseph, TerriAnn Oudjar and Jade Small. Inside Bitch is a devised ensemble performance from Clean Break’s members, a playful subversion of the representation of women in prison and how things aren’t quite as seen on TV.
Dismantle This Room
April 2019
Dismantle this Room is an immersive escape-the-room experience giving audience members the opportunity to interrogate the inherited (and often invisible) power structures in theatre – and in the wider world. Dismantle This Room was originally commissioned and produced by the Bush Theatre as part of Project 2036. Written by Nina Segal, directed by Milli Bhatia and produced by Ingrid Marvin.
the end of history…
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, 27 June to 10 August 2019 (Press night is 3 July)
the end of history… is a new play by Jack Thorne, directed by Royal Court Theatre associate director John Tiffany.
Newbury, 1997. Sal is attempting to cook dinner for the family. She and husband David have pulled off a coup and gathered their brood back home for the weekend. Sal and David would rather feed their kids with leftist ideals and welfarism than fancy cuisine. When you’ve named each of your offspring after your socialist heroes, you’ve given them a lot to live up to…
seven methods of killing kylie jenner
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 4 July to 27 July 2019 (Press night is 8 July)
seven methods of killing kylie jenner is a new play by Jasmine Lee-Jones, directed by Milli Bhatia.
Holed up in her bedroom Cleo’s ignored 22 calls from Kara and has cut off contact with the rest of the world. It doesn’t mean that she’s been silent though – she’s got a lot to say – but on the internet, actions don’t always speak louder than words…
Also in the season:
Brexit Big Band & Leavers’ Assembly (29 and 30 March 2019)
In order to mark the allotted date for the UK leaving the EU, the Royal Court Theatre are hosting Matthew Herbert’s Big Band and will be inviting artists from across the UK and Europe to contribute in some way to a Leavers’ Assembly.
Passage: A Windrush Celebration (Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, 13 April 2019)
To mark 70 years after the arrival of passenger liner V Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks, Essex and in response to the recent Windrush scandal, writer/director Lynette Linton has commissioned and is curating this series of seven monologue films presented by the Royal Court Theatre. Writers include Rikki Beadle-Blair, Natasha Gordon, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Lynette Linton, Winsome Pinnock, Jamael Westman and Roy Williams.
Salt (Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 14 May to 1 June 2019, Press night is 15 May)
A journey to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Part of artist Selina Thompson’s wider body of work looking at Black British identity, the award-winning salt focuses on grief, home, afropressism, the Black Atlantic, the forgetting of the UK’s colonial history and the impact that has on the daily life of Caribbean communities in the UK today. Directed by Dawn Walton.
White Pearl (Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, 10 to 15 June 2019, Press night is 16 May)
White Pearl is a new play by Anchuli Felicia King, directed by Nana Dakin. In Singapore, Clearday has developed from a small start-up company to a leading international cosmetic brand in less than a year. But when a draft of the company’s latest skin cream advert is leaked, the video goes viral globally for all the wrong reasons.
Pah-La (Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 3 to 27 April 2019, Press night is 8 April)
Pah-La is a new play by Abhishek Majumdar, directed by Debbie Hannan. Based on real stories during the 2008 Lhasa riots, is an examination of the future of non-violence.
