The Donmar Warehouse has announced two new autumn productions: a Yaël Farber-directed revival of David Harrower’s modern classic Knives In Hens, and Kwame Kwei-Armah’s reimagining of Ibsen’s masterpiece The Lady From The Sea.
The Donmar will also present the previously announced Becoming: Part One, a series of workshop performances written and performed by Rosalie Craig and Michelle Terry performed at the Donmar’s rehearsal space, while the first of the Donmar’s acclaimed Shakespeare Trilogy plays, Julius Caesar, will premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June (broadcast in UK cinemas from 12 July).
Farber’s Donmar debut will see her direct a cast including Christian Cooke (television’s Doctor Who, Robin Hood, The Royal) as Pony William, Judith Roddy (The Plough And The Stars, National Theatre) as Young Woman and Matt Ryan (Hamlet, Donmar; Henry V, Noel Coward Theatre and Broadway) as Gilbert.
Knives In Hens follows a ploughman and his wife leading a simple life in a pre-industrial time. But they soon find themselves embroiled in a struggle of knowledge, power and attraction by the local miller, in a haunting and tense thriller. The show will play from Thursday 17 August – Saturday 7 October (press night Tuesday 22 August).
Donmar Associate Director Kwei-Armah, who recently directed the Olivier Award-nominated One Night In Miami… at the venue, will then revive Ibsen’s wistful drama The Lady From The Sea in a new version by Elinor Cook.
Nikki Amuka-Bird will star as Ellida, the lighthouse-keeper’s daughter trapped in a forlorn marriage and dreaming of the sea. But when a former lover returns from years of absence, Ellida is torn between her duty and self-determination. The Lady From The Sea will play from Thursday 12 October – Saturday 2 December (press night Wednesday 18 October).
The Donmar’s free ticket scheme for those aged 25 and under, YOUNG+FREE, will continue to offer seats for performances across the new season. YOUNG+FREE is funded through the generosity of audiences with the Donmar’s PAY IT FORWARD scheme. KLAXON tickets will also continue across the season. Starting from £10, KLAXON tickets are put on sale every Monday for performances in the following three weeks.
Artistic Director Josie Rourke said, “The Donmar will once again be home to stories both epic and intimate. This autumn I am delighted to bring you two exceptional plays, celebrating world-class theatre making talent.”
Currently, Bruce Norris’ new adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui continues The Power Season at the Donmar Warehouse, starring Lenny Henry in the title role and directed by Simon Evans, with a new musical, The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Takes Oral Evidence on Whitehall’s Relationship with Kids Company, to follow.
You can book your tickets through the venue’s website.