New works announced in Royal Court season, with a new play by Alistair McDowall

Details on upcoming productions at the Royal Court have been revealed.

Four new productions have been confirmed to play at the Royal Court, with performances through to June 2022. The new works include plays by Alistair McDowall, as well as an encore run of The Song Project.

"We are nearly there. After months of disruption and postponement, after plagues and flooding, we are delighted to announce the last precious plays which have been waiting not so patiently to be put in front of you our audience." said artistic director Vicky Featherstone.

"The work more than ever feels urgent, dynamic and confirms theatre as a vital and hopeful part of our cultural life. As the mirror we hold up to ourselves, as the place where empathy is fostered, where the unheard are given voice."

The Royal Court's next shows are Is God Is by Aleshea Harris, which opens next week. The 16-minute play What If If Only by Caryl Churchill and Rare Earth Mettle by Al Smith will open later this year.

As an addition to the season, the Royal Court will hold script-in-hand performances of Lucy Kirkwood's Maryland, running from 7 - 16 October. Speaking about her play, Kirkwood said: "This play was for many years a private conversation with myself. The horrific murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa this year have galvanised me into making it public.

I hesitate to even call it a play when it is simply a howl, a way of expressing what I feel about a culture of violence against women, but I am sharing it because I wonder if it might express a little of what other people feel about it too. It was written very quickly, and I am grateful to the Royal Court for snatching up a gauntlet thrown down last Friday night with such energy, care and seriousness."

William Gregory translates Pablo Manzi's Una Lucha Contra into an English-speaking play, now called A Fight Against... (Una Lucha Contra). Sam Pritchard directs a comic play about violence across the Americas, asking what brings a community of international people together. Previews begin on 9 December, with an opening night on 14 December and performances to January 2022.

In the New Year, Vicky Featherstone directs Alistair McDowall's The Glow, running from 27 January - 5 March, with an opening night on 8 February. Set in Victorian England, a woman is freed from being locked in an asylum, and is recruited as a medium's assistant.

Sarah Hanly writes and stars in her one-woman play, Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks. Alice Fitzgerald directs Hanly's debut play, which follows a young woman named Saoirse as she makes the most of a move from Dublin to London. Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks begins previews at the Royal Court on 1 February, with an opening night on 3 February and performances to 12 February.

Sami Ibrahim's striking play, titled two palestinians go dogging, will run at the Royal Court from 6 May - 1 June, with a press night on 11 May. Omar Elerian directs the comedy, which is set in 2043, and follows couple Reem and Sayeed as they share a serious play about Palestine.

After a limited engagement last summer, The Song Project returns in 2022 from 9 - 18 June. The gig theatre sees five playwrights explore life's complexities, with music performed live by Wende. 

^{Photo credit: The Song Project and Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks (Ali Wright)}

Article Updated: 1 October 2021