A new verbatim play about the 2011 riots by Alecky Blythe and the UK premiere of David Cromer’s acclaimed US production of Our Town will play at the Almeida Theatre this autumn.
Running from 26 August to 4 October, Little Revolution tells the story of the summer of 2011, when angry, disaffected Londoners took to the streets, burning and looting as they went. Playwright Blythe was there too, but she had her Dictaphone to hand and spoke to those involved.
The new play, directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins who previously directed Blythe’s The Girlfriend Experience, uses the conversations recorded by the London Road playwright to explore the riots.
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town (9 October to 29 November) is a tale of two people who fall in love, marry and live out their lives, a small American town becoming an allegory for everyday life.
Cromer’s acclaimed, stripped back production was previously staged in New York, Los Angeles and Boston. This production, in which Cromer will reprise his role as Stage Manager, marks the show’s UK premiere.
Further casting has not been announced for either production.
The new season announcement comes at a time when the Islington’s Almeida Theatre is going from strength to strength. Earlier this year it won eight Olivier Awards for its productions of Ghosts and Chimerica, and transferred its acclaimed co-production of 1984 to the West End. It has just announced that current hit King Charles III will follow 1984’s example by transferring to the Wyndham’s Theatre in September.
The success sets the bar high for the European premiere of Mr Burns, which runs at the North London venue from 5 June to 19 July. Anna Washburn’s drama, which stars Jenna Russell and Annabel Scholey, asks what will survive as contemporary America considers a future without power, and what will happen to their most famous TV family.