Actors Touring Company announces 2022 tour of Rice

Actors Touring Company (ATC) has announced an 11-week national tour of Rice, an award-winning drama by Australian writer Michele Lee.

Billed as "a wickedly humorous observation on globalisation, politics and family", the play centres on an unlikely bond between a hotshot executive working for Australia's largest producer of rice, and an older Chinese migrant, the office cleaner, who has her own entrepreneurial ambitions.

The production, which is directed by the company's artistic director Matthew Xia, recently played a five-week run at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond. It marks ATC's return to touring after almost two years due to the pandemic.

"It feels fantastic after this pandemic-enforced hiatus to finally be back touring shows again," Xia said. "I'm looking forward to introducing this dynamic and expansive drama, which stays true to ATC's mission in bringing fresh dialogue and perspectives from different cultures and intersections, to audiences up and down the country."

The tour opens at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from 4 to 12 February 2022 before visiting: North Wall Oxford, Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough, Crucible Theatre Sheffield, Unity Theatre Liverpool, HOME Manchester, Northern Stage Newcastle and York Theatre Royal.