Spur of the Moment

Spur of the Moment
by Anya Reiss
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
14 July – 14 August
Press Night 20 July 7pm

Spur of the Moment, the debut play by 18 year old Anya Reiss, opens at the Royal Court Theatre on 14 July (press night 20 July.

The cast includes Rosie Day, Kevin Doyle, Aisling Loftus, Jordan Loughran, James McArdle, Yasmin Paige, Sharon Small and Shannon Tarbet.

‘I was always in such a rush to grow up I never thought about what I’d do when I got there.’

Pre-teen Delilah enjoys High School Musical, swim parties and ogling the lodger. Whilst her parents throw verbal grenades at one another, they barely notice their 21-year-old tenant starting to notice her.

Spur of the Moment looks at the distance between close family relations and a young girl on the brink of adolescence. It is the debut play by Anya Reiss, written when she was seventeen.

Anya has attended holiday courses at the Royal Court since she was fourteen and progressed from the Introduction Group to the Advanced Group. Spur of the Moment is her first play.

Kevin Doyle plays Nick. His credits include For King and Country on national tour, Three in the Back, Two in the Head at the Orange Tree and has worked extensively with the RSC. On film, he has appeared in Good and The Libertine.

Sharon Small plays Vicky. Her theatre credits include Life is a Dream at the Donmar Warehouse, The Exonerated at Riverside Studios, Lear at Sheffield Theatres. Her film credits include Last Chance Harvey, Dear Frankie and About a Boy and on televison, she has appeared in Mistresses, A Midsummer Nights Dream (Shakespeare Retold), Glasgow Kiss and as Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.

Shannon Tarbet plays their 12 year old daughter, Delilah. Shannon has taken part in a number of concerts and musicals as a dancer and singer; this will be her theatre debut.

James McArdle plays Daniel, the 21-year-old lodger. His credits include Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. He is currently in final year at RADA and will also appear in A Month in the Country later this year at Chichester Festival Theatre.

Jeremy Herrin is Deputy Artistic Director of the Royal Court, where he has directed the world premieres of Michael Wynne’s The Priory, Polly Stenham’s plays Tusk Tusk and That Face, as well as the UK premiere of David Hare’s The Vertical Hour. He was formerly an Associate Director at Live Theatre Newcastle, where he specialised in directing new writing. His other credits include Marble at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, The Family Play at the Donmar Warehouse, Statement of Regret at the National and the South African premiere of David Harrower’s Blackbird.

The production will be designed by Max Jones, with lighting by Malcolm Rippeth and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph.

Spur of the Moment is part of the Royal Court’s Jerwood New Playwrights programme, supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

Spur of the Moment is at the Royal Court Theatre in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs 14 July – 14 August. Tickets are £15 (Mondays £10) available online or from the Box Office on 020 7565 5000.

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

14 July – 14 August
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Mon-Sat 7.45pm
Sat mats 4pm (from 24 July)
Press night Tues 20 July
Post-show discussion 5 August
Captioned performance 12 August
Age guidance 14+

Tickets £15
Mondays all seats £10
Concessions £10 (avail. in advance until 24 July incl. and all mats. For all other perfs, avail. on a standby basis on the day)
*School and HE Groups of 8+ £7.50 (avail. Tue-Fri and mats)
Access £10 (plus a companion at the same rate)

The Jerwood Charitable Foundation. is dedicated to imaginative and responsible revenue funding of the arts, supporting emerging artists to develop and grow at important stages in their careers. The aim of their funding is to allow artists and arts organisations to thrive; to continue to develop their skills, imagination and creativity with integrity. They work with artists across art forms, from dance and theatre to literature, music and the visual arts. The Jerwood Charitable Foundation has supported the Jerwood New Playwrights series at the Royal Court since 1994, discovering and nurturing a generation of some of the UK’s finest new playwrights, including Sarah Kane, Simon Stephens, Martin McDonagh, Ayub Khan Din, David Greig, Rona Munro, Richard Bean and many others. Other current partner organisations include Glyndebourne (Jerwood Artists), Artangel (Jerwood/ Artangel Open) and Sadler’s Wells (the Jerwood Studio). The Jerwood Charitable Foundation also funds and manages Jerwood Visual Arts; a year-round contemporary gallery programme of awards, exhibitions and events at Jerwood Space, London, which then tours nationally.

Royal Court Café Bar
Open weekdays 11am-late and from noon on Saturdays
Offering the best of British home-cooking, the Royal Court Café Bar is open for lunch, tea and supper. Sample menus available from www.royalcourttheatre.com.
Reservations 020 7565 5058 / foodanddrink@royalcourttheatre.com

Royal Court Bookshop
Open Monday to Friday 3-10pm, Saturday 2.30-10pm
The Royal Court bookshop offers a diverse selection of contemporary plays and
publications on the theory and practice of drama. Current and recent playtexts are only £3 and staff specialise in recommending contemporary monologues suitable for auditions. The Bookshop runs a playtext subscription service and also stocks Inside Out – a comprehensive history of the Royal Court. Student and Equity discounts available.

Booking Information
Tickets available online or on 020 7565 5000.

Royal Court Theatre
Sloane Square
London
SW1W 8AS

Nearest tube Sloane Square, Nearest rail Victoria