The regional première of Laura Wade’s Posh and two new commissions are the focal points of Nottingham Playhouse’s spring 2015 season.
In the run-up to the General Election, the theatre will be staging a Power and Politics season of work.
Posh will be a co-production with Salisbury Playhouse. According to Susannah Tresilian, who directs the revival, the play sent “shockwaves” through London when it had its debut at the Royal Court before the 2010 election.
“We’re five years on now from its first production and Britain looks a different place. I’m thrilled to be directing this play at this time. What is great theatre if it isn’t to challenge, to question, to provoke and to entertain?
“I’m also delighted to be balancing out those testosterone levels, working with an extremely talented and exciting all-female creative team. Together we intend to send people home talking: about the play, about the boys, about the country, about the politics. I’ll be in the foyer—with a hard hat on.”
The play concerns an Oxford students’ dining club called The Riot Club, a fictionalised version of the exclusive, all-male Bullingdon Club noted for its wealthy members, grand banquets and boisterous rituals.
Posh runs at Nottingham from 13 until 28 February.
The Playhouse’s artistic director Giles Croft, commenting on the rest of the season, said, “Nottingham Playhouse has always been a crucible for emerging artists and new work. I’m very pleased that the forthcoming season is no exception.
“I’m delighted that we’re presenting two new commissions by Nottingham writers which examine two contrasting and vital stories.
“As British military activity in Afghanistan draws to a close, we’ll be staging BBC Writersroom10 winner Mufaro Makubika’s How to Breathe and, playing alongside the regional premiere of Posh, we’ll be reflecting on the legacy of one of British politics’ most respected but divisive characters, Tony Benn, in Andy Barrett’s new play Tony’s Last Tape.”
Both will play in the Neville Studio, How to Breathe from 17 until 21 February and Tony’s Last Tape from 25 until 28 February.
Nottingham Playhouse has had a ten-year collaboration with Shared Experience and will stage a re-telling of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Mermaid, conceived, created and directed by Polly Teale, runs from 13 until 21 March.
Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing also visits Nottingham as the Playhouse is co-producing Nikolai Foster’s revival with Leicester’s Curve and Tom O’Connell for QNQ Productions. It features Charlie Brooks (Janine Butcher in EastEnders), Thomas Law and Sam Jackson and makes its home in Nottingham from 20 April until 9 May.
More details, including a trailer, are available at the Nottingham Playhouse web site.