Thrasher
Tweet

Thrasher Opens RET Studio Season

Conor McKee's Thrasher - a darkly-comic new drama premieres at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Studio later this month before transferring to Camden People’s Theatre, London.

Set over a single night in Manchester, it is a white knuckle ride of debt, betrayal and lost innocence, which reveals the under-laying needs that drive us and the flaws that continually threaten to bring us down.

Six people are spiralling towards destruction, trying to save themselves and protect what’s left of their relationships. They grab on to moments of connection – of warmth and humour - but discover that once faith, friendship and love have been destroyed, it’s difficult to get them back.

Thrasher is written by Conor McKee - 2009/2010 writer on attachment to Tinderbox, Northern Ireland’s premier new writing theatre company – who has built a reputation for producing intelligent, unsettling and thought-provoking work. The play re-unites the creative team behind the 2010 sell-out production of McKee’s Burnt, which was performed at Manchester’s Contact Theatre.

This new production is directed by Wyllie Longmore who has recently performed at the Royal Exchange in The Bacchae. He also previously appeared at the venue in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, for which he won a Manchester Evening News Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Thrasher also features a provocative and original score by internationally acclaimed classical composer and double bass player Michael Cretu, who is an internationally recognised musician and composer from Romania. Michael has been playing the double bass since he was 12 and at the age of 19, he joined the Romanian National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Michael studied music at George Enescu Music School in Bucharest and he won a scholarship to complete his postgraduate studies with Duncan McTier at the Royal Northern College in Manchester.

The cast is made up of North West-based actors including Darren Langford and Claire Disley. Langford recently left Hollyoaks after two years playing Spencer Gray, winning praise and award nominations in his time on the Channel 4 show. Darren’s first relationship with the Royal Exchange was working within the Catering Department.

Claire has previously worked at the Royal Exchange Theatre in PUB. Other credits include Burnt (Contact Theatre), An Inspector Calls (The Lowry) and for television, Emmerdale. The cast also includes Ryan Greaves, [Katie McArdle,] Cathy Shiel and Declan Wilson.    

Thrasher runs at the Royal Exchange Studio, Manchester from 28 September - 1 October.

- by Glenn Meads

Related Content

Internal Links
	RET Present Edward II in Manchester - 18th Aug 2011 News
	RET Opens Doors to Young People - 8th Jul 2011 News
	Quarantine Present Entitled at RET Studio - 30th Jun 2011 News