Touring theatre company Out of Joint, led by legendary Artistic Director Max Stafford-Clark, today announced the full list of four shows which it will be presenting in London this autumn.
With careful management, scrupulous artistic judgement and consistently high standards, Out of Joint is in the envious position of mounting four shows in London in one season.
Max Stafford-Clark will direct three of the shows, with the company supporting a fourth directed by young director Des Kennedy, winner of Out of Joint's inaugural Directing Award.
Out of Joint's unprecedented success comes just months after Arts Council England announced a cut of 27.9% to the company's public subsidy, to take effect from next year.
The four shows are:
· The West End transfer of Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, following a hugely successful run at Chichester Festival Theatre, to the Trafalgar Studios in the West End, directed by Max Stafford-Clark, with a cast including Stella Gonet, SurAnne Jones and Catherine McCormack. Sonia Friedman presents the Out of Joint and Chichester Festival Theatre production.
· Trudie Styler in the West End transfer of A Dish of Tea With Dr Johnson at the Arts Theatre, following a hugely successful national tour, directed by Max Stafford-Clark, and adapted by Ian Redford, Russell Barr and Max Stafford-Clark from the writings of James Boswell. Karl Sydow presents the Out of Joint production.
· The London premiere of Bang Bang Bang, Stella Feehily's new play about the secret lives of humanitarian workers in war-torn central Africa, in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at The Royal Court Theatre, also directed by Max Stafford-Clark. Co-produced by Out of Joint, The Octagon Bolton, Curve Theatre Leicester, The Royal Court Theatre and Salisbury Playhouse.
· The European premiere of How The World Began by Catherine Trieshmann, directed by Out of Joint's Associate Director and winner of Out of Joint's Director's Award, Des Kennedy, at the Arcola Theatre. Produced by Tom Atkins with support from Out of Joint and the Arcola Theatre.
Max Stafford-Clark co-founded Out of Joint with Sonia Friedman in 1993. He is a former artistic director of the Royal Court and the Traverse Theatre; was co-founder of Joint Stock Theatre Group; and has directed at The National Theatre and RSC, as well as at the Roundabout Theatre in New York and Sydney Theatre Company.
Out of Joint is a theatre company acclaimed for producing and touring the UK's sharpest new writing. Founded and directed by Max Stafford-Clark following his artistic directorship of the Royal Court, it has premiered plays by David Hare, Caryl Churchill, Sebastian Barry, Timberlake Wertenbaker and many more, and launched the careers of such talents as Mark Ravenhill and Stella Feehily. The company will receive a cut of £137,000 in its Arts Council funding from April 2012, a decision that has caused outrage in the Theatre World. Stafford-Clark said, "The only reason we have been given by the Arts Council for the cut is that the amount of funding we receive for each person that sees our shows is unacceptably high. The laughable irony is that this will happen at the end of a year when more people will have seen our shows than at any point in our history".
Top Girls
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by Max Stafford-Clark
Cast: Stella Gonet, SurAnne Jones, Catherine McCormack, Lucy Briers, Laura Elphinstone, Lisa Kerr and Olivia Poulet.
Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY
6 August - 15 October 2011
Press Night: 17 August 2011 at 7pm
Monday - Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm
£20 - £45 (plus concessions)
Day seats £20
all tickets include a £1.50 restoration levy
Box Office: 0844 871 7632
Website: www.topgirlstheplay.com
A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson
Adapted by Russell Barr, Ian Redford and Max Stafford-Clark,
from James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson and Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides.
Directed by Max Stafford-Clark
Cast: Russell Barr, Ian Redford, Trudie Styler
Arts Theatre, London, Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB
