Royal Court International Season, RSC Premieres

The production, which runs until 12 March 2011, is directed by Lyndsey Turner whose recent credits for the Royal Court include Laura Wade’s Posh, Mike Bartlett’s Contractions and Molly Davies’ A Miracle.

The cast have today been announced as Ishia Bennison (A Couple of Poor Polish Speaking Romanians, Soho Theatre), Clare Cathcart (the Royal Court’s Loyal Women), Eugene O’Hare (Talent at the Menier Chocolate Factory), Adrian Schiller (Every Boy Deserves Favour, National Theatre), Colin Morgan (A Prayer for My Daughter, Young Vic), Anthony O’Donnell (As You Like It, Bridge Project, Old Vic) and Joshua Williams.

Pedro Miguel Rozo first worked with the Royal Court in Bogotá in 2004 and developed this play during the 2009 Royal Court International Residency in London. The production is designed by Lizzie Clachan with lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Carolyn Downing.

Aleksey Scherbak’s Remembrance Day opens on 23 March (previews from 18 March 2011) and takes what marketing materials call an “unflinching” look at the politically charged tensions in modern day Latvia.

Director Michael Longhurst was the assistant director of The Family Plays as part of the 2007 international season at the Royal Court. His recent directing credits include Stovepipe for HighTide with the National Theatre and the Bush Theatre, On The Beach, as part of ‘The Contingency Plan’ at the Bush Theatre and dirty butterfly at the Young Vic.

Cast currently confirmed include Ewan Hooper who last appeared at the Royal Court in Richard Bean’s Toast. His other credits include The Bacchae for the National Theatre of Scotland. He is joined by Sam Kelly was was seen in the Royal Court’s Under the Whaleback and whose recent credits include When We Are Married at the Garrick Theatre and Wicked at the Apollo Victoria.

The production, which will run until 16 April 2011, is designed by Tom Scutt with lighting by David Holmes and music and sound by Ben and Max Ringham.

In addition to the two fully staged productions, the Royal Court will produce a series of rehearsed readings and events with playwrights from Latin America and Eastern Europe. Full details of the rehearsed reading series is available from the Royal Court’s website.

In other new writing news the Royal Shakespeare Company have today announced three new plays at Hampstead Theatre as part of their ‘Season of World Premieres’ which will run for 10 weeks from 16 April.

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first orbit around the earth, Little Eagles by Rona Munro is the story behind the battle for military supremacy and the competitive fury of the Cold War. Munro’s extensive writing for stage, film, radio and television includes Iron for the Traverse Theatre Edinburgh and Royal Court, The Last Witch for Edinburgh International Festival and Ken Loach’s Ladybird Ladybird.

Little Eagles is directed by RSC Associate Director Roxana Silbert. The play was developed in association with Davidson College in the USA

Cast for the production, which will run until 7 May 2011, has today been announced as: Charles Aitkin, Joseph Arkley, Brian Doherty, Darrell D’Silva, Noma Dumezweni, Dyfan Dwyfor, Phillip Edgerley, Greg Hicks, James Howard, Ansu Kabia, Debbie Korley, John Mackay, Sandy Neilson, Peter Peverley, Oliver Ryan, Hannah Young and Samantha Young.

The production is designed by Ti Green with lighting by Chahine Yavroyan. Music and Sound by Ben and Max Ringham. Movement is by Ayse Tashkiran. The play was developed in association with Davidson College in the USA.

The second RSC show at Hampstead Theatre is Silence – a devised production created by Filter and David Farr. The piece looks to explore “urban noise to rural emptiness, through rationalism to spirituality, from Russia to the UK”.

Filter’s previous work includes Twelfth Night for the RSC, Water co-created with David Farr, Three Sisters for the Lyric Hammersmith and Caucasian Chalk Circle for the National Theatre.

The cast for the production has been announced as Christine Entwisle, Mariah Gale, Paul Hamilton, Richard Katz, Jonjo O’Neill, Patrick Romer and Katy Stephens as well as Oliver Dimsdale and Ferdy Roberts from Filter.

The production is designed by Jon Bausor with lighting by Jon Clark. Music and Sound are by Tim Phillips

American Trade, which rounds off the season, is a new play by the RSC’s playwright in residence, Tarell Alvin McCraney. The play promises to be a “a funny, uncompromising and outspoken play” about a charismatic American hustler who moves to London to set up an escort business under the guise of a model agency.

American Trade is directed by Donmar Warehouse associate Jamie Lloyd whose recent credits include Piaf and Polar Bears. For the RSC Tarell Alvin McCraney co-edited and directed the Young People’s Shakespeare production of Hamlet which plays in the RSC’s London Season at the Roundhouse this winter. His plays include Wig Out, Again and Again, A Meditation on Antigone and The Breach.

Full cast for the production has been announced as Adam Burton, David Carr, Geoffrey Freshwater, Gruffudd Glyn, Kathryn Hunter, Tunji Kasim, Debbie Korley, Dharmesh Patel, David Rubin, Sophie Russell, Simone Saunders, Peter Shorey, Clarence Smith, James Traherne, James Tucker, Larrington Walker, Kirsty Woodward, Hannah Young and Samantha Young.

The production is designed by Soutra Gilmour with lighting by Neil Austin, Music and Sound by Ben and Max Ringham. Movement is by Ann Yee.