The Finborough Theatre's Summer 2016 Season

The Finborough Theatre in West Brompton, west London, has announced its Summer 2016 season.

The season begins with the world premiere of Stone Face by Eve Leigh, directed by Roy Alexander Weise. This new play based on true events runs from 17 May to 11 June 2016.

"Catherine is fifteen years old, and was discovered in a state of almost total neglect. No one is even sure if she's ever left the room she was found in. She can't walk and can't speak. Her recovery seems impossible. But children can be shockingly resilient, especially with inspired medical care. Sponsored by a fundraising drive led by a tabloid newspaper, her only surviving relative has been able to get Catherine the best private medical care that money can buy. She responds well to the experimental treatment. But she seems to be getting more violent, and remains stubbornly resistant to language. Or is she? Soon, Catherine's doctors and great-aunt begin to discover what it is, exactly, that they've uncovered..."

The production is presented by Desara Bosnja in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre.

The season also includes the world premiere of It Is Easy To Be Dead, commemorating the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. The piece is about war poet Charles Sorley and will run from 15 June to 9 July 2016.

"Tells the story of Charles Sorley's brief life through his work and music and songs from some of the greatest composers of the period including George Butterworth, Dòmhnall Ruadh Chorùna, Ivor Gurney, John Ireland, Rudi Stephan and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Killed in action at the age of 20, Sorley's poems are among the most ambivalent, profound and moving war poetry ever written."

The production is presented by Amanda Castro for the Finborough Theatre and features set design by Phil Lindley, lighting/video by Rob Mills and sound by Max Pappenheim.

This will be followed by another world premiere and the first play by new playwright Amy Ng, Shangri-La, directed by Charlotte Westenra, from 12 July to 6 August 2016.

"Bunny, a young indigenous woman, has witnessed her family's livelihood destroyed by mass tourism. She dreams of escape — as a globe-trotting photographer. Nelson, her liberal Chinese boss, dreams of a new kind of tourism that's sustainable and enables genuine cultural exchange. Their white Western clients yearn for escape, for the touch of something authentic. These desires collide head on in Shangri-La."

The poduction will be presented by Matthew Schmolle in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre and Yellow Earth Theatre.