RSC ‘MAKING MISCHIEF FESTIVAL’
The Royal Shakespeare Company announces details for the first new work festival in the newly opened Studio at The Other Place; ‘Making Mischief’. This month-long festival features new commissions by some of today’s most exciting playwrights who are challenging and questioning our society with bold new work. Led by Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman, the festival will include:
- Two new plays, Fall of the Kingdom, Rise of the Foot Soldier written by Somalia Seaton and Always Orange by Fraser Grace, directed by Nadia Latif and Donnacadh O’Briain.
- The return of the award-winning Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. by Alice Birch, before runs in Edinburgh and London at Shoreditch Town Hall.
- Clean Break’s critically acclaimed one woman show Joanne performed by Tanya Moodie.
Fraser Grace and Somalia Seaton were invited to respond to the provocation ‘What is unsayable in the 21st Century?’
Fraser Grace returns to the RSC following Breakfast with Mugabe, which won the John Whiting Best Play Award in 2006 and, following its Stratford run, transferred to the West End and New York. In Always Orange, Fraser presents a tragicomic exploration of how to be human in a world always on the edge. Set in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in central London, a survivor of the first attack, Joe, is convinced that he has found the key to turning the tide of destruction and restoring tolerance and understanding. But the city is in no mood to listen…
Somalia Seaton makes her RSC debut with Fall of the Kingdom, Rise of the foot Soldier. Emerging as a major new talent, she is currently under commission to companies including Clean Break, Talawa and The Bush. In this provocative new play Somalia peels away the privileged ignorance of middle-class tolerance to expose the deep wound of cultural tension cutting through modern England. Set in London, a racially-motivated attack on a student forces her teacher to confront the uncomfortable truth lurking beneath the veneer of community cohesion.
Alice Birch’s Revolt. She said. Revolt again. returns to Stratford-upon-Avon following its debut in the 2014 Midsummer Mischief Festival, London run and was recently produced at New York’s Soho Rep. Winner of the 2014 George Devine Award, this acclaimed play examines the language, behaviour and forces that shape women in the 21st century and asks what is stopping us from doing something truly radical to change them. Directed by Erica Whyman, the production will transfer to Edinburgh and to the Shoreditch Town Hall, following the ‘Making Mischief Festival’. Further details of the Edinburgh run will be announced on the 7 June.
Joanne joins the festival after its debut at Latitude Festival and a critically acclaimed run at Soho Theatre. Performed by Tanya Moodie, who plays Gertrude in the RSC’s current production of Hamlet. Commissioned and produced by Clean Break, Joanne explores the pressures on our public services as one young woman buckles under pressures of her own. It is written by five of the most exciting voices in theatre; Deborah Bruce, Theresa Ikoko, Laura Lomas, Chino Odimba and Ursula Rani Sarma and is directed by Róisín McBrinn.
Booking
All tickets for the ‘Making Mischief Festival’ and Revolt. She said. Revolt again. at the Shoreditch Town Hall are £15 and are on sale from Friday 27 May.
To book call 01789 403493 or online at www.rsc.org.uk
BP 16-25 Tickets
The BP £5 ticket scheme and BP Shakespeare Pass for 16 – 25 year olds gives access to £5 tickets for all RSC productions in Stratford-upon-Avon. BP £5 tickets are also available for RSC productions in London or on tour. Tickets can be booked in advance on the phone, online or in person for performances in Stratford-upon-Avon and in London.
Festival Dates
Always Orange and Fall of the Kingdom, Rise of the foot Soldier
- Making Mischief Festival, Stratford-upon-Avon: Playing in rep Wednesday 27 July – Saturday 27 August, with press performances on Saturday 30 July at 7.45pm and 9.15pm.
- Writer and director talk: Friday 29 July, 5.30pm
- Post show talk: Tuesday 16 August
Revolt. She said. Revolt again.
- Making Mischief Festival, Stratford-upon-Avon: Tuesday 2 August – Saturday 13 August
- Director talk: Thursday 4 August, 5.30pm
- Post show talk: Tuesday 9 August
- Alice Birch talk: Saturday 13 August, 11.30am
- Shoreditch Town Hall, London: Wednesday 31 August – Saturday 17 September
Joanne
- Making Mischief Festival, Stratford-upon-Avon: Thursday 11 August – Friday 12 August
- Post show talk: Thursday 11 August
Press Contact information
For further information, please contact Amy.belson@rsc.org.uk on 01789 412622 or Philippa.harland@rsc.org.uk on 020 7845 0512.
Images for media use
Media can download images by registering at www.rsc.org.uk/press-images
Notes to Editors
The Other Place
Originally built in 1973, The Other Place was home to the RSC’s developmental and new work, housing many landmark productions with RSC alumni such as Judi Dench, Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren, and research and development of major productions such as Les Miserables and Matilda, The Musical. The theatre closed in 2006 to make way for the temporary Courtyard Theatre, where the RSC performed during the transformation of the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres.
After a 12 month building project, the new Other Place opened on 21 March 2016. It includes a 200-seat flexible studio theatre, built within the external steel structure of The Courtyard Theatre, two new rehearsal rooms, and a new home for the RSC’s 40,000 piece Costume Store, giving people access to the Store for the first time via a new theatre tour. A new café bar is open throughout the year.
Clean Break
Clean Break uses theatre to transform the lives of women with experience of the criminal justice system. It commissions and produces plays telling their hidden stories and runs a theatre-based Education Programme in prisons and at its North London studios. In August 2016, Clean Break will premiere a new Double-Bill at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. House from Somalia Seaton and Amongst the Reeds from Chino Odimba tell stories of survival and the need to be heard in two plays bursting with humanity, humour and power, directed by Clean Break’s Head of Artistic Programme, Róisín McBrinn.
Supporters
The RSC Ensemble is generously supported by THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION and THE KOVNER FOUNDATION
The RSC Literary Department is generously supported by THE DRUE HEINZ TRUST
The Other Place has been made possible thanks to the support of private and public funders, including very generous donations from ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND, THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, BACKSTAGE TRUST, J PAUL GETTY JR CHARITABLE TRUST and a new creative partnership with the University of Birmingham, Founding Partner of The Other Place.
