‘News. Another rape. Child murdered. War somewhere. Few thousand jobs gone. But none of this matters ‘cause it’s a royal birthday.’

A major revival of Sarah Kane’s blackly comic reworking of Seneca’s classical tragedy of monarchy, incest and fatal obsession, which premiered in 1996: ‘Pure theatre. Or rather impure theatre: dirty, alarming, dangerous’ (Observer)”

Supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council England.

Cast:

Phaedra: Joanna Roth

Hippolytus: Nicholas Shaw

Theseus: Rupert Holliday Evans

Strophe: Emma Keele

Director: Bronwen Carr

Venue: Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, London, E8 3DL

Dates: 28 September - 22 October 2011

Performance times: Mon - Sat 7.30pm; Thurs & Sat Matinees at 4.00pm on 6, 8, 13, 15, 20 & 22 October

Additional events: 

• FREE pre-show workshops for schools & colleges prior to Thursday matinees
• FREE rehearsed readings of Frank McGuinness’ Phaedra (after Racine) and Brecht's Baal prior to performances on Tuesday 4th and Friday 18th October.

"fascinating revival... pithy and blackly witty" (The Times)

"impressive Nicholas Shaw... a heady nihilistic intensity... chilling" (Evening Standard)

"Carr's atmospheric production is worth an hour of the strong stomached theatregoer's time" (Time Out)

"compelling theatre... don't miss" (Morning Star)

"a fantastically visceral and prophetic play...Nicholas Shaw as Hippolytus and Joanna Roth as Phaedra shine... not for the fainthearted, but well worth a visit." (Islington Tribune)