Theatre Royal Stratford East Announces New Season

Artistic Director of Theatre Royal Stratford East, Kerry Michael today announces the theatre’s forthcoming season launching this September. The season opens with Counting Stars by award-winning playwright Atiha Sen Gupta which will transform the stage into a studio format nightclub installation for this funny yet heart-breaking tale directed by Associate Director at Stratford East, Pooja Ghai.

This is followed by the drama Glasgow Girls, conceived and directed by Cora Bisset with book by David Greig which returns to the theatre as part of a UK tour.

Following a sold out run at the Barbican, Ballet Black returns in a new partnership with Theatre Royal Stratford East. A professional ballet company for international dancers, they aim to bring ballet to a more mixed audience with this Triple Bill.

October brings the world première of Bonnie Greer’s new play The Hotel Cerise, inspired by Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard which comes as part of the theatre’s focus on commissioning new work and adaptations. Femi Elufowojo Jr directs.

Theatre Royal Stratford East’s well-renowned annual pantomime will this year take the form of Sinbad the Sailor by Paul Sirett.

Concluding the season is the UK première of Kirsten Childs’ award-winning musical, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin which marks the return of celebrated director and actress, Josette Bushell-Mingo to London.

Artistic Director of Theatre Royal Stratford East, Kerry Michael said today, ‘We are immensely proud to present our new season of world class theatre and dance. We feel the season provides quality theatre that stirs debates about who we are in a modern, changing and complicated world and offers a platform for new and unheard voices. This includes a snapshot in to immigrant life in Counting Stars and David Greig’s Glasgow Girls which is now more relevant than ever as we retreat from Europe. The season also celebrates new writing and new associations – we are pleased to announce the world première of a brand new play by Bonnie Greer, The Hotel Cerisewhich considers what life will look like in a post-Obama United States. In addition to this, we welcome back Ballet Black, with whom we begin a new partnership – both of us passionate about getting diverse audiences into see our work, and continue our Christmas pantomime tradition with Sinbad the Sailor. Completing the line-up is the UK première of Kirsten Childs’ The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds her Chameleon Skin, another show never seen before by UK audiences in a season of contemporary new stories that need to be told.’

Theatre Royal Stratford East also announces the appointment of a new team of Associate Artists. These are: actor and writer Alex Andreou (The Black Album at National theatre, Theatre Royal Bath, Liverpool Playhouse), writer and actor Cosh Omar (The Battle of Green Lanes and The Great Extension at TRSE), director Daniel Bailey (Resident Director at Birmingham REP), actor and campaigner Martina Laird (Moon on a Rainbow Shawl andThe Five Wives of Maurice Pinder at National Theatre), director Ola Ince(Resident Associate Director at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Genesis director recipient), writer and actor Rani Moorthy (Curry Tales at Edinburgh festival and Library Theatre, Manchester and Just Add Water? At Royal Opera House), writer and director Rikki Beadle Blair (Bashment andFamilyman at TRSE and Creative Director of Team Angelica), producer and director Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway (founder of Artistic Directors of the Future), actor and activist Simon Startin (Government Inspector at TRSE), and designer and director Ultz (Jerusalem at Royal Court and Pied Piper – A Hip Hop Dance Revolution at TRSE).

Also announced today is a new Writer in Residence, Atiha Sen Gupta(writer of Counting Stars) as well as two new Associate companies: Artistic Directors of the Future (the UK’s first organisation dedicated to creating change at leadership level in mainstream theatres. They work with a wide range of culturally diverse directors at varying levels of experience to inspire, prepare, support and empower the next generation of artistic leaders giving them the leverage they need to progress to the next step) and Team Angelica (who draw collaborators from every social background and are dedicated to creating thought-provoking entertainment).

More info on www.stratfordeast.com.