Norman Conquests at Old Vic from 11 Sep

Norman Conquests at Old Vic from 11 Sep

Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy of plays The Norman Conquests, will open at the Old Vic theatre in a transformed 'theatre-in-the-round' auditorium, 6 Oct 2008, following previews from 11 Sep - booking to 20 Dec 2008

The three plays: "Table Manners", "Living Together" and "Round and Round the Garden" are structured to allow each play to be enjoyed independently or as a trilogy in any combination.

The three plays will play in repertoire, but there will be several Satudays when all three plays will be performed over one day. There are also several opportunities to see all three plays over a weekend.

The action of each play takes place simultaneously and follows the same six characters in the same English country house from Saturday evening to Monday morning. Believing it his mission in life to make women happy by showering them with love, Norman makes the most of every opportunity to seduce his sister-in-law Annie , charm his brother-in-law's wife Sarah and woo his wife Ruth during a disastrous weekend of squabbling, eating, drinking and fondling.

Directed by Matthew Warchus and designed by Rob Howell, the cast includes Amelia Bullmore (Ruth), Jessica Hynes (Annie), Stephen Mangan (Norman), Paul Ritter (Reg).

Director Matthew Warchus comments on the changes to the auditorium: "I have always been excited by the magical effect that 'inthe- round' has on audiences, performers and design. Seeing Ayckbourn performed in this setting, compared to a conventional proscenium arch, can I think be revelatory."

Old Vic Artistic Director, Kevin Spacey said: "Creating theatre 'in-the-round' for The Norman Conquests will be an exciting new chapter in The Old Vic's history. These plays are beautifully constructed and retain real contemporary relevance, and I can't wait to see this cast bring the characters to life. This is an ambitious project and we are enormously grateful to CQS, and to Michael and Dorothy Hintze personally, for sharing our vision and supporting the transformation of The Old Vic space."