Max Bennett, Sinéad Matthews and Owen Teale in A Time to Reap

Friday 11 January 2013

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR A TIME TO REAP AT ROYAL COURT THEATRE

Max Bennett, Sinéad Matthews and Owen Teale have been cast in A Time to Reap by Polish writer Anna Wakulik in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court from 22 February (press night 27 February).

Translated by Catherine Grosvenor, A Time to Reap is the latest play to come out of the Royal Court’s extensive international work and will be Anna’s first production in the UK.

The production is directed by Caroline Steinbeis, designed by Max Jones, with lighting by Anna Watson, music by Tom Mills and sound by Alexander Caplen.

“For the briefest of moments, you feel sure that your life has a meaning.
It makes you feel smaller and bigger at the same time.”

From a forested Polish village to the blinding lights of London, A Time to Reap looks at one woman’s story against the mountain landscape of an evolving nation and one of Poland’s hottest political topics – abortion and the Catholic Church.

Anna Wakulik is an exciting new Polish voice with a crop of political provocations.

Max Bennett plays Piotr. His credits for the Royal Court include Posh in the West End and In Basildon. Elsewhere, his credits include The Promise, Luise Miller at the Donmar and Relatively Speaking for Theatre Royal Bath. On film, his credits include Anna Karenina, The Sweeney and The Duchess.

Sinéad Matthews plays Marysia. Her theatre credits include The Changeling at the Young Vic, The Way of the World at Sheffield Crucible, The Master and Margarita at the Barbican, Ecstasy at Hampstead and West End. On screen, she is due to appear in a new BBC3 series Way to Go and appeared in Ideal on BBC3

Owen Teale plays Jan. His credits at the Royal Court include The Country. Elsewhere his most recent theatre credits include Mary Stuart for Theatre Clywd and Creditors at the Donmar Warehouse. On screen, his credits include Stella on Sky1, BBC’s Line of Duty, Game of Thrones (HBO) and Kidnap and Ransom (ITV).

Anna Wakulik currently works as literary manager for Tarnowski Teatr im. L. Solskiego in Tarnow, where she is writing her new play, Heroes. Her play Krzywy Domek was presented in a public rehearsed reading during the Festival of Contemporary Polish Drama R@PORT in Gdynia in 2010. Other works include Sans Souci at Polish Theatre in Poznan, Helzbieta H. at National Wybrzeze Theatre in Gdansk. The Polish version of A Time to Reap was performed in Poznan in November 2012. Anna wrote A Time To Reap when she attended the Royal Court Theatre’s 2011 International Residency for Emerging Playwrights. She has been developing the play with the Royal Court ever since.

Translator Catherine Grosvenor’s performed plays include One Day All This Will Come To Nothing (Traverse), Cherry Blossom (Traverse/Polski Teatr Bydgoszcz, 2008) and Gabriel (Oran Mor 2009). She also wrote the Scottish adaptations of Esa Leskinen and Sami Keski-Vähälä‘s Continuous Growth and The Overcoat. She prepared the literal translation of Our Class by Tadeusz SÅ‚obodzianek at the National Theatre and has worked with both German and Polish writers on the International Residency at the Royal Court.

Caroline Steinbeis, International Associate at the Royal Court, directs. Her credits include Earthquakes in London (UK Tour for Headlong Theatre), Fatherland (Gate Theatre), Charged/Re-Charged (Soho Theatre), Mad Forest at BAC, Mile End (UK Tour), Photo Story (BAC). Her opera work includes: Cosi Fan Tutte (Sadler’s Wells, Bridgewater Hall, Ascoli Festival). Caroline is founder of Strike Ensemble.

Since 1996 the Royal Court Theatre has travelled the world, running long-term play development projects and building relationships between playwrights, directors, actors and translators. Working with playwrights and theatre artists in 70 countries and in 30 languages, the work is supported by the Genesis Foundation and the British Council.

A Time to Reap is presented as part of International Playwrights: A Genesis Foundation Project.

During A Time to Reap from 12-16 March, the Royal Court will present four rehearsed readings in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs from the Royal Court’s long-term project with Georgian and Ukrainian playwrights. Further details to be announced shortly. These readings will be presented as part of International Playwrights: A Genesis Foundation Project, with support from the British Council.

A Time to Reap
By Anna Wakulik
Translated by Catherine Grosvenor
Directed by Caroline Steinbeis
Fri 22 Feb – Sat 23 March 2013
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs: Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Monday-Saturday 7.45pm (EXCEPT: Tue 12, Wed 13 and Fri 15, 8.30pm)
Saturday Matinees 3.30pm (from 2 Mar)
Thursday Matinees 3.30pm (from 28 Feb)
Press Night Wednesday 27 February, 7pm
Post Show Talk Friday 1 March
Captioned Performance Wednesday 20 March, 7.45pm
Age Guidance 14+
Tickets £20 Mondays all seats £10
Concessions £15* (available in advance until 2 Mar incl, and all matinees. For all other performances, available on a standby basis on the day)
School and HE Groups of 8+ £10 (avail. Tue-Fri and mats)
Access £12 (plus a companion at the same rate)
*ID required. All discounts are subject to availability.

Cast

Max Bennett Piotr
Sinéad Matthews Marysia
Owen Teale Jan

Creative Team
Director Caroline Steinbeis
Designer Max Jones
Lighting Designer Anna Watson
Composer Tom Mills
Sound Designer Alexander Caplen

ends
(11/01/13)

For more information, please contact Anna Evans on 0207565 5063 annaevans@royalcourttheatre.com

Notes to Editors;

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.

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 which helps the Royal Court to provide a springboard for young writers to greater public and critical attention. For more information, please visit www.genesisfoundation.org.uk.