Theatre News

Brendan Cowell and Lally Katz double-bill to receive UK premiere in Hope Theatre winter season

The season features six productions, four of which are written by women

Brendan Cowell
Brendan Cowell
© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

The Hope Theatre in Islington has announced its winter season.

The season kicks off with the UK premiere of Brendan Cowell (Yerma, Young Vic) and Lally Katz's double-bill The Dog/The Cat. Running from 4 to 22 September, the antipodean plays are directed by Sharon Burrell and transfer to London after two sell-out seasons in Sydney.

This will be followed by a rare revival of Eugene Ionesco's The Lesson. Translated by Donald Watson and directed by Matthew Parker, the dark comedy has been running permanently in rep at Paris' Théâtre de la Huchette since 1957.

Althea Theatre will then present Jericho's Rose, a new piece by Lilac Yosiphon fusing new writing, movement, live music and loop pedalled sound from 16 October to 3 November.

After an acclaimed run at the Brighton Fringe, Tormented Casserole's Gilded Butterflies (6 to 24 November), inspired by their meeting with death row survivors, explores the volume of a living soul contained in one cell.

The season concludes with Sarah Daniels' Head-Rot Holiday (27 November to 22 December), a dark comedy about three women in a psychiatric prison, first staged by Clean Break in 2016.

Artistic director Parker said: "Four years after opening its doors The Hope Theatre has gone from strength to strength and this is shown in the quality and diversity of work submitted for our programming. I am delighted to be able to announce such an eclectic mix of theatre from various backgrounds and voices, old and new, I look forward to a winter full of big ideas."