Cast Announced for The River

PRESS RELEASE

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE RIVER AT ROYAL COURT THEATRE

Laura Donnelly, Miranda Raison and Dominic West have been announced as the cast of Jez Butterworth’s new play The River in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre from 18 October – 17 November.

“At dawn I went back to the river, and I took off my clothes and dived in the freezing water. I searched and searched but it was gone. But when I surfaced, I was holding something. Something else.”

A remote cabin on the cliffs, a man and a woman, and a moonless night.

Laura Donnelly’s most recent credits include Philadelphia Here I Come (Donmar), Judgment Day (Almeida), Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Nights’ Dream (Regent’s Park Open Air).

Miranda Raison’s most recent theatre credits include The Physicists (Donmar), Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII (Shakespeare’s Globe). On screen, she played Jo Portman in Spooks from 2005-9. Her other screen credits include Vexed and Married, Single, Other.

Dominic West’s theatre credits include Butley (West End), The Seagull (Old Vic), As You Like It (West End), The Voysey Inheritance (National), Rock ‘n’ Roll (West End) and Life is a Dream (Donmar). On screen, he played the character of Jimmy McNulty in The Wire (HBO) from 2002 to 2008. His other screen credits include The Awakening, The Devil’s Whore, Centurion and 300.

Jez Butterworth’s most recent play at the Royal Court was the critically-acclaimed hit Jerusalem in 2009, directed by Ian Rickson, which went on to play two record breaking runs in the West End, as well as transferring to Broadway. His first play Mojo opened at the Royal Court, winning five awards including the Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Most Promising Playwright and the Olivier Award for Best Comedy. Other plays at the Royal Court include The Night Heron and The Winterling. Credits elsewhere include Parlour Song at the Almeida. On film, his credits include Mojo, starring Harold Pinter, Birthday Girl, starring Nicole Kidman and Fair Game starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.

Ian Rickson reunites with Jez Butterworth to direct. Rickson last directed Butterworth’s multi-award-winning play Jerusalem at the Royal Court, West End and on Broadway. He also directed Butterworth’s previous shows The Winterling, The Night Heron, Mojo and Parlour Song, He was Artistic Director of the Royal Court from 1998 -2006 where his many productions included The Seagull, which transferred to Broadway, Krapp’s Last Tape which he also directed for BBC4, Fallout which he also directed as a film for Channel 4 and The Weir and Mojo both of which transferred to the West End and Broadway. Other recent credits include Hamlet (Young Vic), Hedda Gabler (Broadway), Betrayal (West End), The Children’s Hour (West End) and The Hothouse (National Theatre).

The production will be directed by Ian Rickson, designed by Ultz, with lighting by Charles Balfour, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph and music by Stephen Warbeck.

The River is in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court from 18 October – 17 November. Tickets will only be available on the day of performance, with an allocation on sale online at 9am at www.royalcourttheatre.com and an allocation released for in person sales at 10am from the Royal Court Theatre Box Office, Sloane Square.

ends

(22/08/12)

For further information, please contact Anna Evans on 020 7565 5063 annaevans@royalcourttheatre.com

Notes to Editors

Listings Information

The River
By Jez Butterworth
Directed by Ian Rickson
Thursday 18 October – Saturday 17 November 2012
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Monday – Saturday 7.45pm
Saturday matinees 3.30pm (from 27 October)
Thursday matinees 3.30pm (from 1 November)
No Day Seats available for Friday 26 October, Thursday 1 November and Tuesday 6 November
Press Night Friday 26 October 7pm
Post-Show Talk Tuesday 30 October
Captioned performance Wednesday 14 November
Age Guidance 14+
Tickets £20 Monday all seats £10
Concessions £15* (available until Saturday 27 October, and all matinees)
Access £12 (plus a companion at the same rate)

For The River, no tickets will be available for advance purchase. All tickets will go on sale on the day of performance, with an allocation on sale online at 9am and an allocation released for in person sales at 10am from the Royal Court Theatre Box Office.

Cast
Laura Donnelly
Miranda Raison
Dominic West

Creative Team
Ian Rickson Director
Ultz Designer
Charles Balfour Lighting Designer
Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound Designer
Stephen Warbeck Composer

Coutts is the Principal Sponsor of the Royal Court Theatre

Coutts 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.