PRESS RELEASE 21 June 2017
Casting announced for the Directors’ Festival – plays by Brad
Birch, James Graham, David Ireland, Kate Tempest and Enda Walsh
20 – 29 JULY 2017
Directors’ Festival

Robert Gill (The Bodyguard, West End) and Andrew Langtree (Groundhog Day,
Old Vic) will appear in Albert’s Boy by James Graham, directed by Kate Campbell.

BAFTA winner Georgina Campbell (Murdered By My Boyfriend, Broadchurch) and
Orlando James (Will in Shakespeare in Love, West End) appear in Even Stillness
Breathes Softly Against a Brick Wall by Brad Birch, directed by Hannah de Ville.

Elinor Lawless (Bakkhai, Almeida) and Rufus Wright (Tony Blair and David
Cameron in The Audience, West End/Broadway) appear in The End of Hope by
David Ireland, directed by Max Elton.

Ryan Donaldson (The Winter’s Tale, Cheek by Jowl) plays the solo role in
Misterman by Enda Walsh, directed by Grace Vaughan.

Daniel Abbott (Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, RSC), Alexander Forsyth (BU21,
Theatre503/Trafalgar Studios) and Gemma Lawrence (Celia in As You Like It,
National Theatre) are in Wasted by Kate Tempest, directed by Jamie Woods.

A festival of plays directed by students from the inaugural year of the Orange Tree
Theatre and St Mary’s University’s MA in Theatre Directing. Five plays, five directors,
playing in repertoire over 10 days with all tickets £7.50.

The plays are designed by Max Dorey, with sound design by Richard Bell and
casting by Rebecca Murphy.
PRESS CONTACT Ben Clare 020 8940 0141 ext 217
[email protected]
Full production information
20 July 7.00pm, 22 July 8.30pm, 27 July 4.00pm, 28 July 8.30pm
Albert’s Boy by James Graham
directed by Kate Campbell
The human race has never built a weapon it did not eventually turn on itself.
Einstein’s guilt tangles him up in knots.
It’s boomtime in America, 1953. At home in New Jersey, Einstein isn’t basking in this Free
World glow. His cat is missing and that is the least of his problems. Nearly a decade after the
Second World War ended in a mushroom cloud over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Albert is
questioning his own part in the proliferation of the Atomic Bomb.
When his friend’s son Peter Bucky visits, recently repatriated from a Chinese POW camp at
the end of the Korean War, opinions and molecules collide, in this riveting play not seen on
the London stage since its world premiere at The Finborough Theatre in 2005.
Written by James Graham, whose play This House recently transferred to the West End
following a hit run at the National Theatre. His latest plays soon to open are Ink (Almeida)
and Labour of Love (West End).
Robert Gill’s theatre includes Sign of the Times (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds/tour); The
Bodyguard (Adelphi); Ghosts (Sell A Door/Greenwich); Calendar Girls (tour); Someone
Who’ll Watch Over Me (Barons Court); Edward II, Love Lust and Loss (BAC); Measure for
Measure (Peter Hall Company); Mouth to Mouth (Royal Court); The Real Inspector
Hound/Black Comedy (Donmar/tour); When We Are Married (Savoy). TV includes Venus,
Ocean of Fear, Silent Witness, A for Andromeda and Derailed.
Andrew Langtree’s theatre includes: The Hypocrite (RSC/Hull Truck); Treasure Island
(Birmingham Rep); Groundhog Day (The Old Vic); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Theatr Clwyd);
Ghost (West End/Chinese tour); Oppenheimer (also Vaudeville) and The Shoemaker’s
Holiday (RSC). TV includes Emmerdale, Doctors, Coronation Street, Heartbeat, The Royal,
Holby City and Cutting It.
20 July 8.30pm, 24 July 7.00pm, 26 July 8.30pm, 29 July 7.00pm
Even Stillness Breathes Softly Against a Brick Wall by Brad Birch
directed by Hannah de Ville
We all pour into the city like water down a sink
Him loves her. Her loves him. Yet every day they decay. Every day they descend into the
city, leaving their souls tucked up in bed.
What do you do when you realise how inconsequential your life is? That you have, slowly,
without realising become another corporate cog in a corporate machine. That the only thing
you get excited by is the anticipation as to whether your neighbour’s cat will acknowledge
you.
Brad Birch’s lyrical aesthetic results in a poem. A dynamic poem, shared between two
disillusioned voices. Two voices, just going through the motions…
But what happens when Him and Her say no. No to the meal deals. No to the iPhones. No to
the friends. No to this pathetic illusion of happiness - it’s simple really, they just have to…
Wake up.
Wake up.
Yet how do you wake up from life?
Brad Birch’s plays include The Brink, which had its world premiere at the Orange Tree in
2016.
Georgina Campbell makes her stage debut. She won a BAFTA for Best Actress for
Murdered By My Boyfriend. Her other TV work includes Krypton, DC Katie Harford in
Broadchurch, Flowers, Tripped, After Hours, Death in Paradise, Freak, Holby City, Mummy’s
Boy, Noah, One Night, Sadie Jones, The Cut and The Ice Cream Girls. Films include: King
Arthur: Legends of the Sword.
Orlando James’ theatre includes: The Winter’s Tale, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Macbeth
(Cheek by Jowl); Will Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love (West End); Another Country
(Theatre Royal Bath/Chichester); The Madness of King George III (Theatre Royal
Bath/tour/West End). TV includes Six Wives of Henry VIII.
21 July 7.00pm, 24 July 8.30pm, 27 July 7.00pm, 29 July 8.30pm
The End of Hope by David Ireland
directed by Max Elton
So I decided to dispose of the body myself. I chopped him up with a kitchen knife and I
thought about burying him in the back garden but I couldn’t be bothered with all that digging
so I just threw him in the bin.
Dermot and Janet are about to have a one-night stand. Before sealing the deal, though,
Dermot must:
a)
Check she agrees that Tony Blair's a war criminal.
b)
Establish whether she killed her ex-husband
c)
Reluctantly accept she does not realise he's famous.
David Ireland's witty and insightful comedy makes its London premiere following his
critically-acclaimed Cyprus Avenue at the Royal Court Theatre.
Elinor Lawless’ theatre includes Bakkhai (Almeida); Hansel and Gretel (Stephen Joseph);
King Charles III (West End); Stone Cold Murder (The Mill at Sonning); Much Ado About
Nothing (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory, Bristol); and All’s Well That Ends Well
(Bristol Old Vic).
Rufus Wright’s theatre includes Diminished (Hampstead); The Audience (West
End/Broadway); Little Revolution (Almeida); The 39 Steps and Journey’s End (West End);
The Empire (Royal Court); Frost/Nixon and Mary Stuart (Donmar/West End); The Madness
of George III (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Birmingham Rep). TV includes Harley and the
Davidsons, Maigret, Knifeman, Lucan, Elementary, Foyle’s War, Baby Be Blonde, Miranda,
White Van Man, Five Daughters, The Thick of It, Taking the Flak, Fanny Hill and Extras.
Films include Star Wars: Rogue One, Assassin’s Creed, War Machine, 45 Years,
Narcopolis, The Face of An Angel, The Special Relationship, Quantum of Solace and
Spygame.
21 July 8.30pm, 25 July 7.00pm, 27 July 8.30pm, 29 July 4.00pm
Misterman by Enda Walsh
directed by Grace Vaughan
…sin has become our religion, greed our communion and Evil… Evil is our God.
Blasphemy, shameless flirting, deceit, excessive drinking, arrogance and laziness. Inishfree
is immersed in evil and only Thomas Magill can see it. With God at his shoulder it is up to
him to cleanse the town and bring salvation to its people.
But heaven may be further from Inishfree than he thought.
Enda Walsh’s play takes a stark look at the dark side of rural life and the isolated mind of a
man on a mission.
His previous plays include Ballyturk, The New Electric Ballroom and The Walworth Farce.
He wrote the book for the musicals Once and David Bowie’s Lazarus.
Ryan Donaldson’s theatre includes The Winter’s Tale (Cheek by Jowl); Observe the Sons
of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (Headlong); and Shakespeare in Love (West End).
Films include The Huntsman.
22 July 7.00pm, 25 July 8.30pm, 26 July 7.00pm, 28 July 7.00pm
Wasted by Kate Tempest
directed by Jamie Woods
Life wants you - it beckons - makes itself immense.
Respect it - take it in your arms, connect and face it.
Your life is for much more than getting wasted.
Three old friends. One remarkable day. One epiphany. Tony’s tree changes four times a
year - Ted, Danny and Charlotte need to catch up.
It’s time to seize control. Make a difference. Change things. This is it.
The charged words of remarkable contemporary poet Kate Tempest capture a generation of
lost souls seeking their place in the world, when they forget their epiphany the minute
they’ve thought it. Wasted is a gripping, funny & moving portrait of life, loss, love and losing
your mind.
Daniel Abbott’s theatre includes Pride and Prejudice (Open Air, Regent’s Park); Richard II,
Henry IV, Henry V (RSC); The Green Children and Progress (Avenue Theatre); Wuthering
Heights and The Comedy of Errors (Red Rose Chain).
Alexander Forsyth’s theatre includes BU21 (Theatre503/Trafalgar Studios; nominated for
Off West End Award for Best Actor); No Villain (Trafalgar Studios); Twelve Angry Men (tour);
Boom (Bush); Only On Sundays (Birmingham Rep); These Are Your Lives and Sisyphus
(The Yard). Films include War Machine, The Man Who Knew Infinity and The Dark Channel.
Gemma Lawrence’s theatre includes All My Sons (Hong Kong Arts Festival); The Tempest
(Southwark Playhouse); As You Like It, Children of the Sun (National Theatre); Much Ado
About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe); Gaslight (Salisbury Playhouse); Lee Harvey Oswald
(Finborough); and The Cherry Orchard (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory/Rose Theatre
Kingston). TV includes Clash of the Futures, Luther, Misfits, 1066, Waking the Dead, Time of
Your Life, Stir It Up, All About George and Ahead of the Class.
MA Theatre Directing course information
This MA Theatre Directing course – the only one of its kind in the UK to be predominantly
housed in a producing theatre – sees MA students based at the multi-award winning Orange
Tree Theatre and is designed to explore the art and techniques of theatre directing within the
context of contemporary theatre making.
Modules are taught by both academics and theatre directors with the assistance of
professional actors in the practical classes. The programme is both academic and
vocational. It aims to provide an advanced understanding of theatre production processes
within a context of both contemporary theatre making and the dramatic tradition. It further
aims to develop students’ craft skills and technical abilities in order to prepare them for a
career in theatre directing.
The programme is aimed both at graduates who wish to advance their understanding of
theatre practice in order to develop their work to a professional standard and at theatre
professionals who wish to formalise their experience with a course of study and a
qualification. The course can be studied full-time in one year or part-time over two years and
applications are being taken for the 2017-18 academic year, with full details at
www.stmarys.ac.uk/postgraduate-courses-london/ma-theatre-directing
Drama St Mary's is a creative centre which is both a learning environment and a context for
professional creative work and community engagement. Their postgraduate courses are
vocational programmes which aim to equip students with advanced industry skills but also
provide the opportunity for artistic experiment and research. "We think it is particularly
important that theatre should have social purpose and although we place the performer at
the centre of our work there is a strong focus on the audience. We believe that theatre is
about 'us' not about 'me'."
The Orange Tree Theatre aims to entertain, challenge, move and amaze with a bold and
continually evolving mix of new and rediscovered plays in our unique in-the-round space. We
want to change lives by telling remarkable stories from a wide variety of times and places,
filtered through the singular imagination of our writers and the remarkable close-up presence
of our actors.
Over its forty-five-year history the Orange Tree has had an exceptional track record in
discovering writers and promoting their early work, as well as rediscovering artists from the
past whose work had either been disregarded or forgotten.
In the last three years, the OT has been recognised for its work with sixteen major industry
awards, including ten Offies (Off West End Awards), three UK Theatre Awards (including
Most Welcoming London Theatre 2016), the Alfred Fagon Audience Award and the Peter
Brook Empty Space Award. Every show so far in 2017 has been nominated for multiple Offie
Awards.
By the end of 2017, the Orange Tree’s work will have been seen in 33 other towns and cities
across the country since the start of 2016.
Artistic Director Paul Miller
Executive Director Sarah Nicholson
The Orange Tree is a registered charity (no. 266128) and is generously supported by the London
Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Website orangetreetheatre.co.uk | Email [email protected]
Twitter @OrangeTreeThtr | Facebook/Instagram OrangeTreeTheatre
@Drama_StMarys @OrangeTreeThtr
Listings information
Thu 20 July 7.00pm Albert's Boy | 8.30pm Even Stillness...
Fri 21 July 7.00pm The End of Hope | 8.30pm Misterman
Sat 22 July 7.00pm Wasted | 8.30pm Albert's Boy
Mon 24 July 7.00pm Even Stillness... | 8.30pm The End of Hope
Tue 25 July 7.00pm Misterman | 8.30pm Wasted
Wed 26 July 7.00pm Wasted | 8.30pm Even Stillness...
Thu 27 July 4.00pm Albert's Boy | 7.00pm The End of Hope | 8.30pm Misterman
Fri 28 July 7.00pm Wasted | 8.30pm Albert's Boy
Sat 29 July 4.00pm Misterman | 7.00pm Even Stillness... | 8.30pm The End of Hope
Tickets £7.50 (NO BOOKING FEES)
Orange Tree Theatre, 1 Clarence Street, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 2SA
Box Office orangetreetheatre.co.uk | 020 8940 3633 (open 10am to 6.30pm Mon-Sat).
TRANSPORT
Trains Richmond Station (District Line, London Overground and South West Trains to/from
Waterloo).
Buses 65, 190, 371, 391, 419, 490, 493, R68, R70, H22, H37, and N22 (night bus) all stop at
Richmond Station. 33 and 337 also stop in central Richmond.
Cycling Bike storage facilities near the Theatre at the corner of Church Road and Kew Road,
and at Richmond Station.
Parking Pay and display parking is also available nearby. Old Deer Park car park (off the A316) is
about a 5-minute walk to the theatre. Free parking after 6.30pm.