Gate Theatre artistic director Christopher Haydon has titled his final season at the venue Resist!
He has said of it, “after five years at the helm of the Gate Theatre, the moment has finally come for me to announce my last season as Artistic Director.
“Inevitably, I have spent a great deal of time recently thinking about the work we have made over the years. So, it is not surprising that the three plays in this new season embody so much of what, I hope, the Gate has always stood for: politically radical ideas communicated through gripping stories told by exceptional emerging artists.
“This series of plays about rebellion and revolution is called: Resist! This was the title I gave my first ever season and it demonstrates that our key commitment to changing the world has remained constant. Indeed, I have no doubt that, once I have moved on to other things, the Gate, and the extraordinary people who work here, will continue to agitate for a better world for many years to come.”
The UK première of The Convert by award-winning playwright and actress Danai Gurira opens the season on 12 January. Directed by Christopher Haydon, it looks at Western cultural impositions and Ancient African traditions in 1896 Rhodesia. The season then continues with
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Grounded written by George Brant 23 February – 18 March
Christopher Haydon also directs Grounded. Lucy Ellinson stars as the fighter pilot flying remote-controlled drones over the Middle East.
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Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Residency 4 – 9 April
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Assata Taught Me – world première 4 – 27 May
This tense play concerns black struggle across generations and genders with its story of a Cuban teenager desperate to live the American Dream learning English from the FBI’s most wanted woman.
- Assata Taught Me is written by Kalungi Ssebandeke and will be directed by Lynette Linton.
The season includes a number of captioned performances and post-show debates.