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Opening: Gethsemane, Footsbarn, Emotion & Zero

Amongst the major openings in London this week are:

OPENING MONDAY, 10 November 2008, Shelagh Stephenson’s docu-drama The Long Road returns to the Soho Theatre after a sell-out run at the same venue earlier this year. The play looks at a family struggling to find meaning and forgiveness in the aftermath of a son’s pointless murder, and run until 29 November 2008.

OPENING TUESDAY, 11 November 2008 (previews from 4 November), Anthony Calf, Tamsin Greig and Jessica Raine head the cast in the world premiere of David Hare’s Gethsemane at the NT’s Cottesloe Theatre, directed by Howard Davies.

The production, Hare’s 14th play for the National, is inspired by the 2006 scandal involving former culture secretary Tessa Jowell who separated from her lawyer husband after he was accused of money laundering and tax fraud in Italy. It runs in rep until 24 February 2009 ahead of a UK tour (See News, 18 Aug 2008).

ALSO ON TUESDAY, the Royal Court Upstairs presents I Come from There - New Plays from the Arab World, staged readings of work by new writers from the Near East and North Africa, for a short run to 15 November.

ALSO ON TUESDAY (previews from 6 November), Maria Alberg directs the UK premiere of German playwright Falk Richter’s drama State of Emergency at the Gate Theatre, examining state control and self control and how the civic dream can turn into an Orwellian nightmare. Until 13 December.

** DON’T MISS our 2-4-1 ticket offer to State of Emergency valid on all performances until 15 November - click here for more info! **

OPENING WEDNESDAY, 12 November 2008 (previews from 5 November), Mick Gordon and Paul Broks’ new play On Emotion premieres at the Soho Theatre, employing puppetry by Blind Summit to explore the complicated and crucial arena of human emotion. Until 20 December.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY (previews from 7 November), traveling theatre company Footsbarn perform their acclaimed carnivalesque production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in their trademark Big Top at Victoria Park, east London, until 30 November (See News, 29 Sep 2008).

** DON’T MISS our special £10 ticket offer to A Midsummer Night's Dream valid on all performances from 7-12 November - click here for more info! **

OPENING THURSDAY, 13 November 2008 (previews from 3 November), Security premieres at BAC, the first solo theatre piece by internationally acclaimed black performance poet Zena Edwards, a comical tale of unexpected friendship confronting issues of security and identity through a fusion of performance poetry, theatre, movement and song. Until 29 November.

ALSO ON THURSDAY (previews from 11 November), award-winning new writing company Theatre Absolute presents the UK premiere of Zero by Chris O’Connell at the Tristan Bates Theatre, a play which examines the ethics of torture and the curse of censorship, running until 29 November.

- By Theo Bosanquet

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