ROYAL COURT THEATRE CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT: TORN AND FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3)

• FRANC ASHMAN, LORNA BROWN, KIRSTY BUSHELL, ROGER GRIFFITHS, JAMES HILLIER, OSY IKHILE, ADELLE LEONCE, INDRA OVÉ, and JAMAEL WESTMAN cast in Torn by Nathaniel Martello-White.

• JIMMY AKINGBOLA, TOM BATEMAN, DEX LEE, SIBUSISO MAMBA, NADINE MARSHALL, SARAH NILES, JASON PENNYCOOKE, JOHN STAHL, STEVE TOUSSAINT and LEO WRINGER cast in Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Suzan-Lori Parks.

Torn and Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) will play at the Royal Court Theatre in September 2016. Torn explores a family broken by secrets and the scars left of things left unsaid. Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) tackles the legacy of slavery in the US and its influence on the African-American experience.

Franc Ashman, Lorna Brown, Kirsty Bushell, Roger Griffiths, James Hillier, Osy Ikhile, Adelle Leonce, Indra Ové and Jamael Westman have been cast in Nathaniel Martello-White’s Royal Court debut play Torn. The play runs Wednesday 7 September to Saturday 15 October 2016 in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Press night is on Tuesday 13 September 2016.

Artistic Director at English Touring Theatre and former Royal Court Associate Director (International) Richard Twyman directs. With design by Ultz, lighting by Charles Balfour, sound by Gareth Fry and movement direction by Patricia Okenwa.

Jimmy Akingbola, Tom Bateman, Dex Lee, Sibusiso Mamba, Nadine Marshall, Sarah Niles, Jason Pennycooke, John Stahl, Steve Toussaint and Leo Wringer have been cast in the Royal Court’s production of Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Suzan-Lori Parks. Rehearsals start on Monday 15 August 2016. The play runs from Thursday 15 September to Saturday 22 October 2016 in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. Press night is on Thursday 22 September 2016, 7pm.

Jo Bonney directs. With set design by Neil Patel, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting by Tim Mitchell, sound design by David McSeveney, songs and additional music by Suzan-Lori Parks and music direction by Steven Bargonetti.

Also announced: Big Ideas

The Big Idea Torn: Time Pieces
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Tuesday 20 September, post-show

Humans use many different clocks to measure their lives, from the muscle inside our chests to the journey of the earth around the sun. But these clocks are all measuring slightly different things. If we can’t trust that time is one coherent entity, how can we trust what we perceive about our existence? Dr Bryan W. Roberts talks about how we perceive the universe and what it means for how humans construct time in their worlds.
Free with a ticket to that evening’s performance.

Bryan W. Roberts is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at LSE. His research deals with the philosophical and mathematical foundations of modern physics. His interests include the concept of “time reversal”, which modern physics uses to distinguish between the past and the future, classical and quantum time observables, the history of physics, and the relationship between quantum mechanics and other scientific theories.

The Big Idea Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3): Suzan-Lori Parks in Conversation
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Friday 23 September, post-show

Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) playwright Suzan-Lori Parks talks with Royal Court Associate Director Hamish Pirie.
Free with a ticket to that evening’s performance.

The Big Idea Torn: Nathaniel Martello-White in conversation
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Tuesday 27 September, Post-show

Torn playwright Nathaniel Martello White talks with Royal Court Associate Director Hamish Pirie.
Free with a ticket to that evening’s performance.

Throughout September and October the Royal Court will also be hosting a series of conversations curated in collaboration with Black Cultural Archives exploring questions of identity, culture and race.

The Big Idea: What Does Black Mean?
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Friday 30 September 2016, 6.15pm

A conversation on the shifting meanings of ethnic identity. Speakers to be announced.
£5 or free with a ticket to either show.

The Big Idea: What Does British Mean?
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Friday 7 October, 6.15pm

A conversation on the idea of Britishness. Speakers to be announced.
£5 or free with a ticket to either show.

The Big Idea: What Does Freedom Mean?
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Friday 14 October 2016, 6.15pm

A conversation on the nature of freedom across history and the world. Speakers to be announced.
£5 or free with a ticket to either show.

Full listings and biography information below.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:

For more information or images please contact Anoushka Hay on 0207 565 5063 / AnoushkaHay@royalcourttheatre.com

The Big Idea is a strand of work launched during Open Court, offering audiences radical thinking and provocative discussion inspired by the work on stage. The Big Idea seeks to foster debate and collaboration, bringing together leading thinkers and artists from all walks of life to engage with the big ideas of our times, through a series of debates and events.

Press Nights:
Tuesday 13 September, 7pm Torn by Nathaniel Martello-White Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Thursday 22 September, 7pm Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Suzan-Lori Parks Jerwood Theatre Downstairs

To download the full press release click here