Theatre News

Bruntwood winner Britannia Waves The Rules returns to Royal Exchange

Gareth Farr’s play is to be staged in the Studio space of the Royal Exchange following an earlier run on the main stage last month.

Dan Parr as Carl Jackson and Francesca Zoutewelle as Goldie.
Dan Parr as Carl Jackson and Francesca Zoutewelle as Goldie.

©Jonathan Keenan

Royal Exchange audiences are to get a second chance to see Gareth Farr’s Bruntwood Prize winning play Britannia Waves the Rules when it returns for a short run in The Studio space from 22 – 26 July.

The play was first seen last month when it received its world premiere in The Theatre, playing in rep with The Last Days of Troy.

Britannia tells the story of Carl. He doesn’t fit in at home. He doesn’t fit in anywhere. He signs up for the army, seeing a chance to escape the grim reality of life in his hometown Blackpool. But it doesn’t matter where he runs to, or how hard or how fast, there are just too may battles for him to win them all. He comes home, not as a war hero, but as a changed man.

The play picked up a Judges Award in the 2011 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. Dan Parr plays the lead role of Carl. The production is directed by Nick Bagnall who recently directed The Last Days of Troy.

His previous credits include directing three Henry VI plays at venues across the UK, including four open-air battlefield performances. His other work includes Betrayal (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield) and Entertaining Mr Sloane (Trafalgar Studios).

The production is designed by Ashley Martin-Davis and the creative team is completed by Chris Davey (lighting), Peter Rice (sound), Alex Baranowski (composer) and Kevin McCurdy (movement and fights).