Read on for some recent U.K. theatre headlines you may have missed.
C-o-n-t-a-c-t Finds Its Cast
Charles Angiama, Louis Bernard, Chloe Gentles, Max Gold, Richard Heap, Aoife Kennan, Katja Quist, and Laura White will star in the upcoming immersive, outdoor theatrical experience C-o-n-t-a-c-t. The cast will alternate between three London locations—Tower Bridge, Greenwich, and Clapham Common—when the show begins performances August 31.
The production is directed by Samuel Sené, with a book by Eric Chantelauze and English adaptation by Quentin Bruno. Cyril Barbessol is the music and sound designer, and Bronagh Lagan is associate director. Originally created by Samuel Sené and Gabrielle Jourdain in France, C-o-n-t-a-c-t explores the themes of mental health and anxiety through the eyes of Sarah as she is approached by someone she believes to be a stranger—and soon discovers she can hear his thoughts.
READ: National Theatre Announces 1st In-Person Production Since Pandemic Shutdown
Grid Iron’s Doppler Moves Online
Edinburgh-based Grid Iron Theatre Company has shifted its planned outdoor production of Doppler to online, an option the group had weighing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A filmed capture of the work done so far will be released to audiences digitally, with more details to be announced soon. Grid Iron also plans to present the show as a live, outdoor theatre experience next year.
Doppler is an adaptation of a satirical novel by a Norwegian writer Erlend Loe which focuses on a man who, following the death of his father, decides to abandon his family and move to the forest on the outskirts of Oslo. The cast features Keith Fleming (Starz’s Outlander) in the title role, with Itxaso Moreno and Sean Hay portraying all other characters.
London’s Gate Theatre Presents Letters
A new digital theatrical work will be performed on Zoom beginning September 14 from the Gate Theatre. Written between March and August this year, Letters tells the story of changing seasons, civil unrest, public health crises, and isolation. Live from their own homes, a pair of performers will open and read never-before-seen letters they've received from each other, then using a series of instructions and a mysterious box of props, they'll act out whatever they've been given. The digital production is co-directed by Nina Bowers, Yasmin Hafesji, Hannah Ringham, Moi Tran, and Gate Artistic Director Ellen McDougall.
