Theatre News

Greg Hicks to play Richard III in new Arcola Theatre season

The venue has also announced new adaptations from Neil Bartlett and Yellow Earth

The Arcola Theatre
The Arcola Theatre
© Lidia Crisafulli

The Arcola Theatre has announced new work for spring and summer including the return of Greg Hicks to lead the company of Richard III

The season kicks off with Neil Bartlett directing his new adaptation of Albert Camus' The Plague. Running from 5 April to 6 May, Camus' modern classic was written in the aftermath of the Nazis’ march across Europe and deals with living through a time of crisis. The cast of Bartlett's production will feature Joseph Alessi, Burt Caesar, Billy Postlethwaite, Sara Powell and Martin Turner.

Arcola's artistic director Mehmet Ergen will then direct Greg Hicks as Richard III from 11 May to 10 June. Hicks is a regular at the Arcola, with previous credits at the venue including The Kreutzer Sonata, Clarion and An Enemy Of The People. Further casting is to be announced.

Amy Draper, Paul Jenkins and Darren Clark's These Trees Are Made of Blood returns to the Arcola from 14 June to 15 July, following a sold-out run in 2015. The immersive cabaret piece is set in '70s Argentina and tells of the human story behind Argentina's Dirty War.

Yellow Earth will present a new adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine (15 March to 8 April) with a British East Asian cast, including Lourdes Faberes in the titular role alongside Melody Brown, Fiona Hampton, Susan Hingley, Amanda Maud and Leo Wan. The play, which will feature live taiko drumming, will be directed by Ng Choon Ping.

The UK tour of Bruntwood Prize winner Naylah Ahmed's Ready or Not, a political thriller about paranoia and fear fuelled by 24 hour news, will play the Arcola from 11 to 29 April, directed by Helena Bell, artistic director of Kali Theatre.

Following its premiere at the National Theatre of Strasbourg, where it won the Grand Prix de la Littérature, Alexandra Badea's The Pulverised has been translated by Lucy Phelps and receives its UK premiere at the Arcola from 2 to 27 May. Directed by Andy Sava, it explores the effects of globalisation on the lives of people around the world.

Talking of the season, Ergen said: "Arcola’s new season confronts tyranny – the tyranny of people by rulers, states of emergency, and work in the global economy.

"At a time when the world order is under strain – but also when ordinary people are feeling the strain of that change – these plays offer a chance to reflect on our afflictions, and on ways we might resist the worst excesses of power.

"In-keeping with Arcola’s commitment to diverse theatre, the season features new productions from leading BAMER companies Yellow Earth and Kali Theatre. Half of the shows are directed by women, including two original works by female playwrights."