Two productions have been added to the spring and summer 2019 season at Birmingham REP.
Joe Penhall’s Olivier Award-winning play Blue / Orange is a “searing dissection of institutional racism and mental health in modern Britain” while Evan Placey “combines contemporary chills and gothic horror” in his re-imagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde.
The REP’s associate director Daniel Bailey will direct Blue / Orange which will be designed by Amelia Jane Hankin.
Bailey said, “Joe Penhall’s play is a crucial and urgent depiction of race, mental health and ethnocentricity. The play is a contemporary classic and I can’t wait to get started on this new production.” It will run at Birmingham REP from 1 until 16 February.
Another associate director, Tessa Walker, looks after Jekyll and Hyde which will be performed by the Young REP.
Walker said, “Evan Placey’s radical adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde transforms the story, imagining the journey of Dr Jekyll’s widow Harriet who has the desire to live a different life but is stopped by the restrictive world around her.
“It explores themes of transformation, freedom and revenge but from a young woman’s perspective. I’m excited to bring it to life with the Young REP.” It will run from 18 until 27 April.