The Young Vic announces two new productions for 2016

The Young Vic Theatre has announced two new productions for 2016, as well as a return of one of last season's most popular shows.

In the main house will be the UK premiere of Battlefield a new work directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne, inspired by Brook's legendary production of 'The Mahabharata'. It will run from 3 to 27 February 2016 with an official opening on 5 February 2016.

Featuring text by Peter Brook, Jean-Claude Carrière and Marie-Hélène Estienne, the work draws on one section of the great Indian epic 'The Mahabharata'.

"The Bharata family is torn apart by a great war. In the aftermath of the massacre, the victors and the vanquished struggle to make sense of the horrors they have experienced - and perpetrated."

The production will star Carole Karemera, Jared McNeill, Ery Nzaramba and Sean O'Callaghan. It will premiere at Théatre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris on 15 September 2015 before transferring to the Young Vic ahead of an international tour.

Artistic Director David Lan commented on the news, saying:

"Peter Brook's staging of The Mahabharata is acknowledged as one of the seminal theatre works of the 20th century. Now, in Battlefield, he and his long-time collaborators Marie-Hélène Estienne and Jean-Claude Carrière explore the contemporary immediacy of just one of its many stories: the moment when the heroes of the epic face each other before a great battle. Peter and his team are among our closest theatre friends. We're as delighted as always to welcome them to the Young Vic.

This will be followed by Annie Ryan's stage adaptation of A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride, which will premiere at the Maria Studio from 17 February to 19 March 2016, following a run at this year's Edinburgh Festival.

"The life and soul of a young girl - in her own words. Religious fervour, cruel deprivation, the deadly illness of her beloved brother - she navigates her way through a threatening world."

The production will star Aoife Duffin, with music and sound by Mel Mercier, design by Lian Bell, lighting by Sinéad Wallace and costume design by Katie Crowley. It will be directed by Annie Ryan.

It was also announced that the Olivier Award winning Bull by Mike Bartlett will run at the Maria Studio from 11 December 2015 to 9 January 2016, with an official opening on 15 December 2015.

"Three colleagues battle over two jobs. In a cutthroat office environment, where every word is a weapon, playground tactics quickly escalate into manoeuvres of a far more vicious nature."

The drama is set in a workplace-come-bullfighting ring designed by Soutra Gilmour. Audiences surround the stage on all sides and can observe the fight from close quarters by choosing standing tickets. Casting for the production is still to be announced.