Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director Rachel Kavanaugh, today unveils the theatre’s confident new season for Autumn and Winter 2008-09, featuring striking new literary adaptations alongside bold new commissions and a greater diversity of voices than ever before.
At the heart of the season is Philip Pullman’s enthralling trilogy His Dark Materials adapted for the stage by Nicholas Wright. The thrilling adventures of Lyra and Will across parallel worlds promises to be an epic, imaginative and magical production that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. The two parts will be programmed on different nights, plus there will be opportunities to see both in one day so that everyone has the chance to become absorbed in the extraordinary worlds created by Pullman.
A brand new stage adaptation of another much-loved classic, Wuthering Heights, brings Emily Bronte’s passionate and spellbinding tale to life. Set on the wild, windswept Yorkshire moors, this inventive and physical production by one of the UK’s most innovative dramatists, April De Angelis, will be directed by Indhu Rubasingham.
Other highlights include: a hard-hitting and hopeful new play, These Four Streets, written by six female playwrights, inspired by the views, hopes and fears of local people around the 2005 disturbances in Lozells; a new staging of Peter Nichols’ musical tribute to life in the British Army entertainment corps, Privates On Parade; this year’s magical Christmas production The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Simon Stephens’ stark and shattering new play, Pornography, which captures Britain as it crashes from the euphoria and promise of winning the race to host the 2012 Olympics into the chaos and reality of 7/7. The REP also hosts the latest production from the award-winning Kneehigh Theatre, Don John, Alan Bennett’s rarely performed play Enjoy starring Alison Steadman, as well as two West End hits, Cabaret and An Inspector Calls.
Rachel Kavanaugh says: “This is a bold and confident new season for the theatre offering our audience distinctive new work alongside fresh adaptations of three literary classics. I genuinely believe that there is something here for everyone - the season demonstrates that The REP offers the very best of theatre across a range of genres, from a magical family Christmas show to topical work.
“There are powerful works by Philip Pullman, Emily Bronte and CS Lewis; Peter Nichols’ wonderful tribute to the army entertainment corps and Kneehigh’s unique take on the insatiable Don John.
“And I’m particularly proud of the diversity of the voices featured, from the young women’s play inspired by the Lozells disturbances, Simon Stephens’ searing new play about 7/7 and Oladipu Agboluaje’s sensitive retelling of the true story of David Oluwale.”
+ Permalink