Arcola Theatre

Arcola collaborates with the RSC for first time as autumn season announced

Sophie Thomas
Sophie Thomas

Seven productions have been announced as part of the latest season at the Arcola Theatre, featuring a play by Maxine Peake, as well as works by Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwrights. 

All works featuring in the newest season have been written or adapted by female writers, with the Arcola's artistic director Mehmet Ergen saying "This new season meets our troubled times with powerful and international visions of hope and change."

Dael Orlandersmith will star in her one-woman show Until The Flood, receiving its European premiere at the Arcola. Based on real-life interviews after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the play examines communities rallying for justice and what it means to be hopeful in modern-day America. Until the Flood will open on 4th September.

Jessica Lazar will direct the UK premiere of Anna Bella Eema, written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Lisa D'Amour and featuring an original score by Chris Sidorfsky. The gothic fairytale follows Annabella, a young girl living in a trailer park with her mother. When she decides to build a girl out of mud, the imaginary character comes to life in a bewitching play where real and alternative worlds collide. Anna Bella Eema will open on 11th September.

Drawing on the Ancient Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, Zinnie Harris' play Meet Me At Dawn will receive its London premiere. Following two women on a boat trip, the pair find themselves in the middle of the sea as they fight for their lives. Murat Daltaban will direct the production, presented in association with DOT Theatre. Meet Me At Dawn will open on 9th October.

Written by Maxine Peake and directed by Marieke Audsley, Beryl dramatises the life and sporting career of Beryl Burton, a British cyclist whose drive and determination to become a competitive sports star saw her become a record-breaking athlete. Beryl will open on 16th October.

Arcola Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company join forces for the first time to present the London premiere of #WeAreArrested, originally written by Can Dündar and adapted by Pippa Hill and Sophie Ivatts. Based on Dündar's experiences of publishing Turkish intelligence, the play follows a journalist as they decide whether to publish a flash-drive of documents containing evidence of illegal government activity. #WeAreArrested will open on 13th November.

Originally written by Nobel Prize winner Knut Hamsun, Amanda Lomas' adaptation of Hunger will receive its world premiere at the Arcola. Following an aspiring writer, Hunger examines what it means to survive when living in poverty and the desire for human connection. Fay Lomas will direct Hunger, which will open on 20th November.

Winsome Pinnock's One Under will round off the season. When someone jumps in front of a Tube train, One Under follows the train driver as he reflects upon moments leading up to the event, searching for meaning in a complex world. Amit Sharma will direct the production by Graeae and Theatre Royal Plymouth production, set to feature a cast of disabled and non-disabled performers, with captioning and audio description at all performances. One Under will open on 10th December.

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