Orange Tree Theatre will reopen next month with new season

The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond will reopen on 22 May with a new season of work.

Reopening the venue will be two Bernard Shaw shorts, How He Lied to Her Husband and Overrulled. Directed by the venue's artistic director Paul Miller, the pieces have design by Simon Daw with lighting design by Mark Doubleday. Casting is to be revealed. The shows play from 22 May to 26 June, with social distancing in place.

The previously revealed revival of Bryony Lavery's Last Easter, directed by Tinuke Craig, will play from 3 July to 7 August. Casting is again to be revealed, with the piece designed by Hannah Wolfe, lighting design by Elliot Griggs and sound design by Anna Clock.

The theatre will continue to work with JMK Award, following the success of 2019 winner Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu's production of Arinzé Kene's Little Baby Jesus. The venue will stage the 2021 JMK Award-winning production, with more details to be revealed. The show will play from 28 August to 2 October.

The theatre will co-produce Michele Lee 's Rice with the Actors Touring Company. Directed by Matthew Xia, the piece is the UK premiere of Asian-Australian writer Lee's award-winning play.

Across Christmas, the theatre will re-stage Terence Rattigan's While the Sun Shines, once more directed by Miller with design by Simon Daw, lighting by Mark Doubleday and sound design and composition by Elizabeth Purnell.

Notably, each production in the season will also be filmed by The Umbrella Rooms and streamed online.

Jade Anouka, Nimmo Ismail, Gemma Lawrence, and Tamsin Daisy Rees, and dramaturg Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong will take part in the venue's writer's collective, led by Guy Jones.