Gate Theatre in Notting Hill announces new season

The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill, west London, have announced details of their upcoming new season titled "Too Close to Home" which features a number of new plays and world premieres.

Artistic Director of the Gate, Christopher Haydon said of the season: "We often define ourselves in relation to the places in which we live and through the people we are surrounded by. And when a place changes, or a group of people shift, that can be a profoundly traumatic experience. So each of the shows in this season takes a distinctive look at how these processes can deeply affect us at both a personal and political level."

The world premiere of Diary of a Madman by Al Smith will run at the venue from 28-30 July, before transferring to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh from 4 - 28 August. It will return to the London venue for a longer run from 5 to 24 September 2016 with an official opening on 6 September 2016.

"Pop Sheeran, father, proud Scotsman and guardian of the Forth Rail Bridge, is about to lose it all. A global corporation has bought this Scottish icon. They send innovative new paint with their English researcher, Matthew - who has also caught the eye of Pop's 17 year old daughter Sophie. How will Pop cope when his sense of fatherhood, professional and national identities are challenged?"

Directed by Christopher Haydon this brand new adaptation of Gogol's classic story will feature design by Rosanna Vize and lighting design by Mark Howland.

The season will also include I Call My Brothers by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles and directed by Tinuke Craig which runs at the Gate from 10 November to 3 December with an official opening on 14 November 2016.

"A car has exploded. A city is now crippled by fear. Amor walks the streets, doing his best to blend in. For twenty-four, intense hours we walk with him, as the lines between criminal and victim, fantasy and reality become blurred. What do you do, walking around your own city the day after a terrorist attack, when everyone thinks you look like a terrorist?"

Tickets for all productions are now on sale