The British Theatre Guide: Cooke's First Royal Court Season

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Dateline: 6th February, 2007

Cooke's First Royal Court Season

The Royal Court Theatre’s new Artistic Director, Dominic Cooke, today announced his first season in charge of the London venue, outlining his vision for the coming year and explaining the core principles – emerging writers, internationalism and experimentation - which will drive the theatre’s programming and activity.

Emerging writers will feature strongly in the 2007 programme, with six first plays, each discovered by the Royal Court’s Young Writers Programme, in the first half of the year. In addition the Royal Court will give a first production to an American writer. Alongside this, the creation of a Studio – a designated space for writers to explore ideas in a freer environment - will reinforce the commitment to new writing, and to new writers. A spirit of experimentation will be evident in a twice-yearly season of Works-in-Progress under the banner Rough Cuts, beginning in the summer.

International work, long pioneered by the Royal Court, will move to the centre of programming. Consequently, the season will include premieres of several new plays by international writers in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. In the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, new translations of two classic European parables, both of which premiered at the Royal Court in the days of founder George Devine, will be presented. These will be performed by one company in repertory.

As part of the Royal Court’s ongoing commitment to widening theatre-going audiences, Cooke also announced that 500 tickets will be on sale at the price of £5 each, to people aged 25 and under, for productions in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. This scheme starts with My Child by first-time writer Mike Bartlett, which previews from 3 May.

The new season will be:

Theatre Downstairs

28 March - 21 April 2007
The Royal Court Theatre presents the National Theatre of Scotland's production of
The Wonderful World of Dissocia
Written and Directed by Anthony Neilson

3 May - 2 June 2007
My Child
By Mike Bartlett
Mike Bartlett's first play takes an incisive, honest look at fatherhood and what it means to be a good parent. Sacha Wares directs, in her first production as Associate Director of the Royal Court.

14 June - 21 July 2007
The Pain and the Itch
By Bruce Norris
In his first UK production, American writer Bruce Norris takes a withering look at phoney liberal values in this hilarious social satire.

In Repertory

21 September - 15 December 2007
Rhinoceros
By Eugène Ionesco
In a new translation by Martin Crimp
directed by Dominic Cooke, is performed in repertoire with Max Frisch's The Fire Raisers, which is directed by Royal Court Associate Director Ramin Gray, and features the same cast.

1 November - 15 December 2007
The Fire Raisers
By Max Frisch
In a new translation by Alistair Beaton

Theatre Upstairs

14 March - 7 April 2007
The Royal Court Theatre and Druid present
Leaves
By Lucy Caldwell
Lucy Caldwell is a young Belfast-born writer. She won the George Devine Award in 2006 for Leaves, her first play.

20 April - 19 May 2007
That Face
By Polly Stenham
Mia is at boarding school. She has access to drugs. They are Martha's. Henry is preparing for art college. He has access to alcohol. From Martha. Martha controls their lives. Martha is their mother.
This is 20 year-old Polly Stenham's first play.

24 May - 23 June 2007
Alaska
By DC Moore
Frank is an ordinary bloke who likes smoking, history and playing House of the Dead 3. He can put up with his job on a cinema kiosk until a new supervisor arrives who is younger than him. And Asian.
Alaska is a play about race, sex and purity. This is DC Moore's first play.

Rough Cuts
A new strand of work-in-progress, created through collaborations between playwrights and directors or other artists. Both established and emerging writers and directors will present extracts from these as part of their journey towards full production.

Autumn 2007
International New Plays
Three months of new international work which includes the UK premiere of Marius von Mayenburg's new play The Ugly One.

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