Theatre News

Royal Court Unveils Latest Rough Cuts Line-up

| London's West End |

24 December 2010

The Royal Court has announced the line-up for its latest Rough Cuts – a biannual season of work-in-progress, experimental pieces, readings and shorts – which runs in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs from 19 to 28 January 2011.

Highlights include a new dance project from the US choreographer Manwe Sauls-Addison (Wig Out!) exploring the world of celebrity backing dancers, shorts from writers Alia Bano, Brad Birch and DC Jackson and a first glimpse of the Romany Project, an ongoing work developed from interviews with members of the Romany community in the East of England.

The season begins with Court Short (19 to 22 January) – four nights of short plays by three young playwrights: current writer-in-residence Alia Bano (Shades), whose short play Buried, will be directed by Joe Hill Gibbons; Brad Birch’s piece Permafrost will be directed by acclaimed filmmaker and artist Sam Taylor-Wood; and DC Jackson (My Romantic History) will have his latest play directed by Jo McInnes.

On 21 January there will be a presentation of Unheard Voices: Romany Stories. Playwrights Dan Allum and Nell Leyshon interviewed men and women from the Romany Traveller community and have developed this short verbatim play in response.

The project will be directed by Indhu Rubasingham and the cast includes Mossie Smith, Luke Treadaway, Candis Nergaard, Anthony O’Donnell, Beatie Edney and Sean Chapman.

The Rough Cuts Programme finishes on an energetic note with 5,6,7,8 – a new dance piece from Manwe Sauls-Addison exploring the world of celebrity backing dancers. Manwe was choreographer on Wig Out! at the Royal Court in 2008 and has danced and provided choreography for Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gag and Michael Jackson. The piece will be directed by Gbolahan Obisesan.