Rough Cuts: Short Plays on Nigerian Witch Children, Childhood, the Arab Spring and a Rock Opera

ROUGH CUTS AT ROYAL COURT TO INCLUDE SHORT PLAYS ON NIGERIAN WITCH CHILDREN, CHILDHOOD, THE ARAB SPRING AND A ROCK OPERA

ROUGH CUTS 9 – 20 August 2011
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court

Rough Cuts – a regular mini season of short plays, experimental readings and works in progress continues at the Royal Court from 9 – 20 August 2011.

Highlights include a project about Nigerian Witch Children set in London by Arinze Kene, an exploration into the notion of childhood in contemporary Britain by Molly Davies, a programme of short plays responding to the Arab Spring and a rock opera set in the hedonistic world of Mama Funk’s Catfish Club.

Arinze Kene’s project Wild Child on 9-10 August looks at Nigerian Witch Children and the shocking experiences that can arise from a fanatic belief in a distorted Christianity and an ingrained African belief in the spirit world. This project will centre on the shocking truth behind the exorcism of ‘witch children’ here in London as a teenage girl is denounced by her church, rejected by her family and labelled as a witch.

Arinze Kene was part of the Royal Court Theatre’s Critical Mass writing programme. His latest play Little Baby Jesus recently played at Oval House Theatre and won an Off West End Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright for Estate Walls at Oval House.

After the Spring on 11-12 August presents a series of short plays from the Arab World, specially commissioned by the Royal Court. Responding to the recent extraordinary events in this region’s history, the programme will include shorts from Mohammad Al Attar from Syria, Laila Soliman from Egypt and Arzé Khodr from Lebanon. After the Spring is an International Rough Cut: A Genesis Foundation Project.

Molly Davies’God Bless This Child on 17-18 August examines the notion of childhood in contemporary Britain, inspired by interviews with leading academics, activists, psychologists and educators. Molly Davies will collaborate again with director Lyndsey Turner who directed her first full length play A Miracle, which was part of the Young Writers festival at the Royal Court in 2009. She was a member of the Young Writers Programme and her new play Shooting Truth will be part of the National Theatre’s New Connections 2011.

Leo Butler and Dan Persad’s rock opera A Separate Reality will be the finale of the Rough Cuts season. Directed by Nick ‘Slash’ Bagnall and with live music performed ‘up to eleven’, A Separate Reality introduces Alison, as she escape the stresses of her humdrum life and discovers her inner rock-goddess in the wild and hedonistic world of Mama Funk’s Catfish Club.

Leo Butler’s previous work at the Royal Court includes Faces in the Crowd, Lucky Dog, Redundant, which won the George Devine Award in 2001 and Made of Stone, which was presented as part of the Royal Court’s Young Writers Festival. Leo is currently the Writers’ Tutor for the Royal Court Theatre’s Young Writers Programme.

Rough Cuts is sponsored by Kudos Film and Television

The Rough Cuts season will be in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre from 9-20 August 2011. Tickets go on sale to Friends and supporters today at 9am (Wednesday) and to the general public on Thursday 23 June. Tickets available online at www.royalcourttheatre.com or from the Box Office on 020 7565 5000. – ends – (22/06/11)

For further information please contact Anna Evans in the Royal Court Press Office on
020 7565 5063 or e-mail annaevans@royalcourttheatre.com.

Listings information

Rough Cuts Season: 9-20 August 2011

Tuesday 9 – Wednesday 10 August 7pm
Wild Child
By Arinze Kene
Directed by Matthew Xia
A teenage girl is denounced by her church, rejected by her family, and labelled as a witch. This play looks at the unholy marriage of distorted Christianity and an ingrained African belief in the spirit world; uncovering the shocking truth behind the exorcism of ‘witch children’ here in London.

Thursday 11 – Friday 12 August 7pm
After the Spring: New Short Plays from the Arab World
Directed by Simon Godwin

Some of the Arab World’s most exciting theatre voices respond to an extraordinary time in the region’s history through specially commissioned short plays in translation.

International Rough Cuts: A Genesis Foundation Project

Wednesday 17 – Friday 18 August 7pm
God Bless the Child
By Molly Davies
Directed by Lyndsey Turner
Inspired by interviews with leading academics, activists, psychologists and educators, playwright Molly Davies and director Lyndsey Turner examine the notion of childhood in contemporary Britain.
Friday 19 – Saturday 20 August 9pm
A Separate Reality: A Rock Opera
Book and music by Leo Butler & Dan Persad directed by Nick Bagnall

Are y’all ready to ROCK?!

Join Alison as she escapes the stresses of her humdrum life and discovers her inner rock-goddess in the wild and hedonistic world of Mama Funk’s Catfish Club.

With LIVE music performed ‘up to eleven’ by Dan & Leo’s band, and directed by Nick ‘Slash’ Bagnall, A Separate Reality will leave you rocking all over Sloane Square.

Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS. Tickets £8 available from 020 7565 5000 or www.royalcourttheatre.com.

Coutts & Co is the Principal Sponsor of the Royal Court Theatre

Coutts & Co is the UK private banking arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Coutts has a long history of supporting the arts going back 200 years, having looked after the financial affairs of many famous clients connected with the arts such as Bram Stoker, Charles Dickens and Chopin. In 1816, Thomas Coutts married Harriot Mellon, a popular actress of her day, and together they became partners of a number of London Theatres, including the Drury Lane and the Royal Opera House. Coutts has even featured in a number of artistic works including The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In the new millennium, this tradition has continued not only through managing the finances of many of today’s top writers, actors and musicians, but also through our arts sponsorship programme and we are delighted to support The Royal Court and its diverse range of ground-breaking performances.

Internatonal Rough Cuts: A Genesis Foundation Project

The Genesis Foundation supports the Royal Court’s International Playwrights Programme

To find and develop the next generation of professional playwrights, the Genesis Foundation funds workshops in diverse countries as well as residencies at the Royal Court. The Foundation’s involvement extends to productions and rehearsed readings and helps the Royal Court offer a springboard for young writers to greater public and critical attention. January this year sees the Genesis Foundation celebrate 10 years of nurturing and supporting emerging talent in the arts. For more information, please visit www.genesisfoundation.org.uk.