2015 Productions

Merit

Written by

Alexandra Wood

About

“A rapacious banker, corrupt, corrupting, you thought he would steal my soul”

Against all odds, young, attractive Sofia has got a job as PA to one of the wealthiest bankers in the country. Sofia’s mother questions whether she gave more than just a good interview to get it…

In times of financial chaos, the bankers get filthy rich whilst others are left unable to support their families. A storm is brewing, people are desperate – just what will they be driven to? Suicide? Murder?

In a subtle game of cat and mouse, split loyalties and questionable morals, Alexandra Wood’s thrilling and darkly funny new play looks at the complexities of a mother daughter relationship and, in the growing argument between rich and poor, the girl who is stuck in between.

Alexandra Wood’s previous plays include an adaptation of Jung Chang’s Wild Swans (Young Vic/American Repertory Theater); The Empty Quarter (Hampstead Theatre); Decade (co-writer/Headlong) and The Eleventh Capital (Royal Court).

“This is a war, us against them, the rich, the greedy: the ones that got us into this mess”

Performances

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Thursday 29th January > Saturday 14th February 2015

Reviews

"An intense episodic 80 minutes of relationships laid bare”
What’s On Stage

“A thought-provoking examination of the true cost of decisions made by the men in suits”
Western Morning News

Cast

Patricia
Rebecca Lacey

Sofia
Lizzy Watts

Creative Team

Writer
Alexandra Wood

Director
Jennie Darnell

Set & Costume Designer
Matthew Wright

Lighting & Projection Designer
Jason Taylor

Sound Designer
Adrienne Quartly

Casting Director
Stephen Moore CDG

Assistant Director
Phil Bartlett

After Electra

Written by

April de Angelis

About

I blame the books they learned to read with; Daddy at the office, Mummy looking out of the window while she’s washing up. I should have burnt them.

It’s Virgie’s birthday and, as she turns 81, she is bucking convention with a very surprising trick up her sleeve. But always a more committed artist than mother, Virgie has not reckoned on her family and friends’ determination to thwart her distinctly unusual birthday plans.

Will her loved ones consent to her last wish, or could the secrets of their past stand in the way?

April De Angelis’ After Electra is a deeply moving and blisteringly witty black comedy that that re-imagines the meaning of family and explores how the choices we make can change our lives forever.

Performances

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Thursday 12th > Saturday 28th March 2015

Tricycle Theatre, London
Tuesday 07th April > Saturday 02nd May 2015

Reviews

“Director Samuel West paces the piece beautifully with excellent timing and delivery, balancing laugh-out-loud wit and comedy with passionate declamation and pathos”
WhatsOnStage

"This superb company ensure we feel an appreciation and compassion for the characters right from the start… productions like this do not come along every day."
Plymouth Herald

“The play is dark and comic and director Samuel West brings his company together like a maestro conducting an orchestra.”
Western Morning News

Cast

Roy
Michael Begley

Sheila
Rachel Bell

Virgie
Marty Cruickshank

Sonia
Kate Fahy

Tom
Neil McCaul

Haydn
Veronica Roberts

Orin
James Wallace

Miranda
Miranda Eleanor Wyld 

Creative Team

Writer
April de Angelis

Director
Samuel West

Set & Costume Designer
Michael Taylor

Lighting Designer
Malcolm Rippeth

Sound Designer
Adrienne Quartly

Casting Director
Stephen Moor CDG

Assistant Director
Phil Bartlett

Costume Supervisor
Christopher Cahill

Consultant Producer
Jenny Topper

Paintings
Deborah Mitchell

The Solid Life of Sugar Water

Written by

Jack Thorne

About

Jack Thorne’s The Solid Life of Sugar Water received unanimous acclaim from critics and audiences alike at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with The Times calling it “startlingly good”.

Phil and Alice are in love. Phil and Alice are healing wounds. Phil and Alice are desperate to communicate.

Candid, uninhibited and visceral, this new play from the award winning Jack Thorne is an intimate, tender portrait of loss, hurt and recovery.

Jack Thorne’s previous credits include Let the Right One In and Hope For The Stage, as well as television dramas Glue, Skins, Shameless and This is England. His new play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will open in the West End in 2016.

Performances

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Monday 08th > Saturday 13th June 2015

Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Fringe
Wednesday 05th > Sunday 30th August 2015

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Wednesday 20th > Saturday 30th January  2016

Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Tuesday 02nd > Saturday 06th February 2016

Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Tuesday 09th > Saturday 13th February 2016

The Dukes, Lancaster
Tuesday 16th & Wednesday 17th February 2016

Hull Truck Theatre
Thursday 18th > Saturday 20th February 2016

Cambridge Junction
Monday 22nd February 2016

National Theatre, London
Friday 26th February > Saturday 19th March 2016

Reviews

★★★★★ (The Observer, UK Theatre Web)

★★★★ (The Scotsman, The Herald, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph,
The Guardian, Financial Times, The Stage, FEST, The List, ThreeWeeks, Broadway Baby,
British Theatre Guide,Time Out, The Week) 

“Startlingly good… unflinching but generous. Grisly by lovely”
The Times

“Sweet and funny moments abound in Jack Throne’s script. They are beautifully fielded by Genevieve Barr (Alice) and Arthur Hughes (Phil) who present every stage of the couple’s relationship with warmth and disarming candour”
The Observer

“Jack Thorne’s multi-layered two-hander for Graeae – about a couple grieving for their stillborn child – has no happy ever after, but is rewarding to watch… Amit Sharma’s spot-on production”
The Guardian

Cast

Alice
Genevieve Barr

Phil
Arthur Hughes

Creative Team

Writer
Jack Thorne

Director
Amit Sharma

Set & Costume Designer
Lily Arnold

Lighting Designer
Ian Scott

Sound Designer
Lewis Gibson

Casting Director
Sarah Hughes

Pardon/In Cuffs

Written by

Valentijn Dhaenens

About

Much is at stake for those who have been caught in the act. It can go one of two ways: jail or freedom. Pardon / In Cuffs, the new play from Valentijn Dhaenens and the producers of BigMouth and SmallWaR, comes to the Theatre Royal Plymouth for only three performances prior to its UK premiere at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.

Inspired by the documentaries of Magnum photographer Raymond Depardon, Pardon / In Cuffs reveals the complex relationship between a culprit and the justice system. Showing two opposite ends of the system, a lying, cheating criminal and a prosecutor representing society, it is the fight for the truth.

Performances

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Thursday 30th July > Saturday 01st August 2015

Traverse Theatre
Thursday 06th > Sunday 30th August 2015

Reviews

★★★★
"Sharply observed, darkly comic verbatim trawl through the police interview room"
The Stage

★★★
"This verbatim piece about prosecutors and defendants makes important points about the criminal justice system, but it’s an uncomfortable theatre experience"
The Guardian

"Brilliantly performed…"
The Scotsman

★★★★
"Unusual but always intriguing."
British Theatre Guide

★★★★
"A series of playful snapshots of those vital moments between crime and punishment that tell a million stories."
Plymouth Herald

Cast

Clara van den Broek

Valentijn Dhaenens

Korneel Hamers
 

Concept
Valentijn Dhaenens

Production Assistant
Bob Cornet

Technician
Jeroen Wuyts

General Manager
Saskia Liénard  

Costume Designer
Barbara De Laere

Image credit: David Van Mieghem

The Whipping Man

Written by

Matthew Lopez

About

1865, Richmond, Virginia. In the aftermath of the Civil War, a wounded master and his two former slaves are reunited at the remains of their family home.

As the days unfold and the men battle with their pasts, they are forced to make shocking sacrifices and reveal their darkest secrets. When war has raged through a community haunted by slavery, can anyone remain truly innocent?

The Whipping Man is a powerful and enthralling play about choice, hope and what it means to be free.

Winner of the 2011 John Gassner New Play Award from the New York Outer Critics Circle.

Performances

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Thursday 17th September > Saturday 3rd October 2015

Reviews

★★★★
“Tom Attenborough’s direction pitches the balance perfectly between hope and hopelessness and timing is spot on.”
The Public Reviews

★★★★★
“A superb performance. A must-see.”
The Cornish Guardian

★★★★
“Thought-provoking and gripping”
The Stage

Cast

Simon
Gary Beadle

John
Sope Dirisu

Caleb
James Northcote

Creative Team

Writer
Matthew Lopez

Director
Tom Attenborough

Set & Costume Designer
Francesca Reidy

Lighting Designer
Oliver Fenwick

Sound Designer/Composer
Adrienne Quartly

Movement Director
Polly Bennett

Costume Supervisor
Maïté Chemin

Judaism Consultant
Shani Erez

Dialect Coach
Simon Money

Casting Director
Stephen Moore

Consultant Producer
Jenny Topper

Medical Consultant
Dr Charles Rayne

Singing Coach
Stephen Ridley

Fight Director
Keith Wallis

Assistant Director
Chloe Mashiter

Are we not drawn onward to new erA

Produced by

An Ontroerend Goed, Spectra, Kunstencentrum Vooruit Gent, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Richard Jordan Productions and Adelaide Festival Production.

About

This thrilling and powerful visual performance from one of the world’s most exciting theatre companies explores the origins and possible futures of life itself.

It’s 2015 and the world is changing rapidly. Some people believe humanity is moving forward while others believe the opposite. No matter who is right, in our quest for progress we have dramatically changed the world we live in and the question of whether or not our actions are irreversible becomes all the more pressing.

Are we not drawn onward to new erA presents a visual metaphor for this crucial moment in our future history, following humanity on its path towards its downfall – or salvation?

Using live music by celebrated composer Basinski, this is the only chance to see this production in the UK ahead of an international tour. Ontroerend Goed’s most recent productions include Fight Night, Audience, A History of Everything, Teenage Riot, and Sirens.

Performances

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Tuesday 17th > Thursday 19th November 2015

Reviews

★★★★
“This is one of the most beautiful, most intelligent and committed performances Ontroerend Goed has ever made, on the boundary of visual art and theatre, poetry and politics.”
Knack Magazine

Cast

Karolien De Bleser

Charlotte De Bruyne

Maria Dafneros

Vincent Dunoyer

Angelo Tijssens

Jonas Vermeulen

Creative Team

Director
Alexander Devriendt

Dramaturgy
Jan Martens

Scenography
Philip Aguirre y Otegui

Costume
Charlotte Goethals

Composer
William Basinski

Arrangement
Joris Blanckaert

Lights, video and sound
Jeroen Wuyts, Babette Poncelet