● Neil Bartlett to direct his new adaptation of Albert Camus’ modern classic, THE PLAGUE
● RSC Associate Artist Greg Hicks to play the title role in William Shakespeare’s RICHARD III, directed by Artistic Director Mehmet Ergen
● Amy Draper to direct THESE TREES ARE MADE OF BLOOD, blending cabaret and original music to tell a vital story from Argentina’s Dirty War
● Lourdes Faberes to play TAMBURLAINE in Yellow Earth’s radical retelling of Christopher Marlowe’s classic, adapted and directed by Ng Choon Ping
● Helena Bell, Artistic Director of Kali Theatre, to direct the world premiere of READY OR NOT by Naylah Ahmed, as part of a UK tour
● Award-winning new play THE PULVERISED by Alexandra Badea to receive its UK premiere in a co-production by Arcola, Changing Face & York Theatre Royal
Artistic Director Mehmet Ergen said:
“Arcola’s new season confronts tyranny – the tyranny of people by rulers (Richard III, Tamburlaine, These Trees), states of emergency (The Plague, Ready Or Not) and work in the global economy (The Pulverised). At a time when the world order is under strain – but also when ordinary people are feeling the strain of that change – these plays offer a chance to reflect on our afflictions, and on ways we might resist the worst excesses of power. In-keeping with Arcola’s commitment to diverse theatre, the season features new productions from leading BAMER companies Yellow Earth and Kali Theatre. Half of the shows are directed by women, including two original works by female playwrights.”
Studio 1
Studio 1 is now a fully producing house.
Arcola Theatre presents three productions this season:
5 April – 6 May 2017 Arcola Theatre presents
THE PLAGUE
based on La Peste by Albert Camus
Adapted and directed by Neil Bartlett
“April 29th; lunchtime. Found Mr Michel in the street outside the apartment. Walk unsteady. Eyes unnaturally bright.”
Dr Rieux is noticing things. A rat on the stairs, where it has no right to be. A sore throat becoming a fever. The first signs of panic. It all amounts to a troubling diagnosis… so what’s the cure?
The Plague is Albert Camus’ electrifying story about living through a time of crisis and fighting back against despair.
Written in the aftermath of the Nazis’ march across Europe, it struck a powerful chord with millions struggling to understand the fascist ‘plague’ that had just overwhelmed them.
Now, seventy years later, multi-award-winning director Neil Bartlett (Or You Could Kiss Me, National Theatre; Stella, LIFT) retells Camus’ classic for our own dangerous times. His frank and gripping new stage adaptation puts chaos under the microscope, and plants the germ of hope in the power of our common humanity.
Cast:
Joseph Alessi, Burt Caesar, Billy Postlethwaite, Sara Powell, Martin Turner
Lighting Design: Jack Weir
Sound Design: Dinah Mullen
Monday-Saturday at 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3pm
Tickets £12-£22 (previews £10-£17)
11 May – 10 June 2017 Arcola Theatre presents
RICHARD III
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Mehmet Ergen
Cast includes Greg Hicks
King Edward is on the throne, and England is at peace. But don’t worry – it won’t be that way for long.
Gripping and outrageous, Shakespeare’s Richard III is the tale of a ruthless, power-crazed misogynist who lies and cheats his way to the highest seat in the land.
Following his celebrated performances as Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Coriolanus and King Lear for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Greg Hicks takes on the role of the tyrant king Richard in this startling new production, directed by Arcola’s Artistic Director Mehmet Ergen.
“I’ll have this crown of mine cut from my shoulders before I’ll see the crown so foul misplaced.”
Further casting to be announced
Design: Anthony Lamble Lighting Design: David Howe
Photo by Alex Brenner
Monday-Saturday at 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3pm
Tickets £12-£22 (previews £10-£17)
14 June – 15 July 2017 Arcola Theatre presents
THESE TREES ARE MADE OF BLOOD
Book by Paul Jenkins
Music and Lyrics by Darren Clark
Directed by Amy Draper
Original story by Amy Draper, Paul Jenkins and Darren Clark
“And for our next act … The Magical Military Junta … Will make 30,000 people disappear before your very eyes.”
1970s Argentina. A violent, right-wing dictatorship. Thousands of citizens, seized by the authorities, have “disappeared”.
Inside the country’s most disreputable club, a mother is about to risk everything to find her missing daughter.
Spectacular, arresting and totally unique, These Trees are Made of Blood blends cabaret and original live music to tell a vital, human story from Argentina’s Dirty War.
Step into Buenos Aires for this immersive theatrical experience, which pulls back the curtain on a secretive state, and shines the spotlight on a powerful act of resistance. Following a sold-out premiere in 2015, the cabaret coup reignites at Arcola for four weeks only.
Monday-Saturday at 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3pm
Tickets £12-£22 (previews £10-£17)
Originally produced by Jim Croxford for Theatre Bench at Southwark Playhouse
Studio 2
15 March – 8 April 2017 Yellow Earth presents
TAMBURLAINE
by Christopher Marlowe Adapted and directed by Ng Choon Ping
A lowly shepherd rises to power – and conquers half the known world.
Tamburlaine is a breathtaking interrogation of power, masculinity and the limits of violence.
In his new adaptation for Yellow Earth theatre company, Ng Choon Ping directs a startling production with a British East Asian cast and live taiko drumming. Lourdes Faberes makes her Arcola debut as Tamburlaine.
As ‘strongman’ leaders exert their influence, and new power from the East asserts its growing dominance, Christopher Marlowe’s classic tale takes on a new urgency and relevance for our time.
“I mean to be a terror to the world”
Cast:
Melody Brown, Lourdes Faberes, Fiona Hampton, Susan Hingley, Amanda Maud, Leo Wan
Live taiko drumming by Joji Hirota
Design: Moi Tran Video Design: Gillian Tan Lighting Design: Neill Brinkworth Movement: Rose Ryan Dramaturgy: Stewart Melton Creative Producer: Kumiko Mendl
Photo by Suki Mok
Monday-Saturday at 8pm
Saturday matinees at 3.30pm
Tickets £17 / £14 concessions (previews £12)
Tamburlaine is supported by the Cockayne Foundation and the Foyle Foundation.
11 – 29 April 2017 Kali Theatre presents
READY OR NOT
by Naylah Ahmed Directed by Helena Bell
Why would an ordinary retired teacher take a young Muslim man hostage in her living room?
In this timely political thriller from Naylah Ahmed (winner of the Royal National Theatre Playwrights Award), an innocent encounter soon develops into a dangerous game of hide and seek with the truth.
In a world of 24-hour news, is there any escape from fear? And how can we detect the real enemy at our gates?
Kali Theatre has been presenting groundbreaking new theatre by South Asian women for over 20 years. New Artistic Director Helena Bell directs this sharp, thought-provoking world premiere, arriving in London as part of a UK tour.
Cast:
Joan Blackham, Naeem Hayat, Natasha Rickman
Design: Rajha Shakiry Lighting Design: Katharine Williams Video Design: Daniel Denton Sound Design: Chris Drohan
Monday-Saturday at 8pm
Saturday matinees at 3.30pm
Tickets £17 / £14 concessions (previews £12)
2 – 27 May 2017 Arcola Theatre, Changing Face and York Theatre Royal present
THE PULVERISED
by Alexandra Badea, translated by Lucy Phelps Directed by Andy Sava
“Stop the rat race. Stop time. Stop the money. Stop the anxiety. Stop everything that has made human beings so bitter.”
A quality assurance officer from France, a call centre manager from Senegal, a factory worker from China, and an engineer from Romania. Each leads a life apart, but all work round-the-clock for the same multinational corporation.
When work has no borders, what’s the cost? Alexandra Badea’s captivating drama is a powerful and disturbing portrait of globalisation and its far-reaching effects on our lives.
Following an explosive premiere at the National Theatre of Strasbourg, where it won the prestigious Grand Prix de la Littérature, The Pulverised arrives in the UK with a new English translation.
Cast:
Rebecca Boey, Richard Corgan, Solomon Israel, Kate Miles
Set and Costume Design: Nicolai Hart-Hansen Sound and Video Design: Ashley Ogden Lighting Design: Tom Smith Movement Director: Lanre Malaolu
Monday-Saturday at 8pm
Saturday matinees at 3.30pm
Tickets £17 / £14 concessions (previews £12)
All productions are bookable directly with the Arcola Theatre:
• PART ONE: FROM THE SEA – A SHORT FILM PROLOGUE RELEASED ONLINE AND SCREENED ACROSS HULL IN AN AIRSTREAM CARAVAN
• PART TWO: ABUNDANCE – A LIVE PLAY TO BE PERFORMED 11-15 APRIL IN VICTORIA DOCK
• PART THREE: TO THE SEA – A PLAY TO BE BROADCAST ON BBC TELEVISION IN SUMMER 2017
• PART FOUR: NEW WORLD – A LIVE PLAY TO BE PERFORMED IN VICTORIA DOCK IN OCTOBER 2017
Flood is the story of what happened when the world was destroyed and how the people who lived tried to make it new again.
Flood is an extraordinary year-long epic commissioned for Hull 2017 that will be told online, live in Hull and on BBC television. It is created by the ground-breaking Leeds-based theatre company Slung Low, directed by artistic director Alan Lane and written by award-winning playwright James Phillips.
One day it starts to rain and no-one knows why. And it doesn’t stop. Far out on the North Sea a fisherman raises a girl in his net, miraculously alive from the deep sea. Is she one of the migrants now washing up on English shores? Or someone sent for some higher purpose?
Slung Low make adventures for audiences outside conventional theatre spaces, each with a powerful, moving story at its heart. Flood is their most ambitious and experimental project to date; mixing live performance, special effects, film and digital elements to tell a story across an entire year. The story will be told throughout four compelling parts. People seeing it will be able to experience each section as a stand-alone piece, or follow the entire series with each part enriching and linking to every other.
Alan Lane, artistic director of Slung Low, said:
“Working with Hull 2017 has allowed us to imagine a larger, more engaging adventure for audiences than ever before. Flood is theatrically and politically the most ambitious work we’ve ever made and the chance to tell that story in Hull throughout this most thrilling year for the city is something we’re really excited about.”
Martin Green, Director Hull 2017, said:
“It is wonderful to be working with Slung Low, one of the most brilliant companies in the UK. As we launch our next two seasons Flood embarks us on an extraordinary journey, which over the next months will stimulate, challenge and ask questions of the audience in an epic piece of storytelling.”
Part One: From the Sea
A short film in which the story begins, when a girl is raised from the depths of the sea. Funded by The Space, a commissioning and development organisation that supports artists and organisations to make the most of the opportunities that digital technology and online distribution afford, it can be seen at hull2017.co.uk/flood.
Flood: From the Sea will be played at a number of locations across Hull this week in an airstream caravan. Locations of the screenings include the carparks of the ASDA stores on Hessle Road, Mount Pleasant, Beverley Road and Kingswood; St. Stephens and Beverley Road Tesco stores; Northpoint Shopping Centre and Walton Street Market.
A live play, in which an apocalypse approaches. Flood: Abundance will be performed in Hull at Victoria Dock from 11 to 15 April, with tickets on sale now. The cast will include Sarah Louise Davies as Kathryn, Nadia Emam as Gloriana, Marc Graham as Sam, Lisa Howard as Natasha, Naveed Khan as Jack, Rani Moorthy as Johanna and Oliver Senton as Captain.
A play broadcast on BBC television, in which the English become refugees. Flood: To the Sea is part of a series of programmes for BBC Arts called Performance Live, a two-year project produced in partnership with Arts Council England and Battersea Arts Centre that will challenge a spectrum of exciting artists, producers and arts organisations to produce their own television programmes.
Flood: To The Sea is a story set in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event which has seen England engulfed by water. Flood asks a simple question: what if the fleeing masses from our TV screens and Twitter feeds, in their boats and their orange lifejackets, had English accents? Because displacement is like disease: deep down we think it only happens to other people.
PART THREE – TO THE SEA
Dates of BBC television broadcast TBA
Part Four: New World
A live play, in which the world is begun again. To be performed at Victoria Dock in October 2017, with further information to be released.
Flood’s epic adventures come to audiences in Hull and beyond with support from The Space, Arts Council England, BBC Arts and Spirit of 2012.
PART FOUR – NEW WORLD
October 2017 Victoria Dock
Further details to be announced, including ticket prices and performance dates.
Flood image by Perry Curties
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