The Royal Court Theatre have announced their new February – August 2019 season, which sees Harry Potter And The Cursed Child writer-director duo Jack Thorne and John Tiffany reunited, as well as an exciting line-up of new writing which includes a play about Kylie Jenner.
Thorne and Tiffany will once again team up for The End Of History… (from Thursday 27 June 2019) in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. Set in 1997 Newbury, a socialist family reunion goes awry – after all, when all the kids are named after the parents’ leftist heroes, there’s a lot to live up to. The production features design by Grace Smart, lighting by Jack Knowles and sound by Tom Gibbons.
Seven Methods Of Killing Kylie Jenner (from Thursday 4 July), meanwhile, is written by Jasmine Lee-Jones, and plays in the smaller Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Directed by Milli Bhatia, the show weighs up the problems behind internet influeners, whose actions don’t always speak louder than their words.
The Royal Court Theatre’s 2019 season artwork
Opening the Downstairs 2019 season is the previously announced return of David Ireland’s Cyprus Avenue. This is followed in the theatre by a series of political events including composer and musician Matthew Herbert’s Big Band & Leavers’ Assembly on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 March 2019; Dismantle This Room, an immersive escape-the-room experience about power structures, playing from April 2019; and Passage: A Windrush Celebration (Saturday 13 April 2019), a day of celebration to celebrate a series of seven monologue films presented by the Royal Court.
The Jerwood Theatre Downstairs then hosts White Pearl (from Friday 10 May), a new play by Anchuli Felicia King, about an international PR nightmare for a company whose draft promotional video goes viral – for all the wrong reasons.
In the more intimate Upstairs theatre, alongside the play about Jenner, will play: Superhoe (from Wednesday 30 January), written by Nicôle Lecky and centring on a young woman who dreams of fame; Inside B**ch (from Wednesday 27 February), a devised ensemble performance which playfully subverts the representation of women in prison; Pah-La (from Wednesday 3 April), an examination of the future of non-violence; and Salt. (from Tuesday 14 May), a journey to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in an examination of the UK’s colonial history.
From May 2019, the Royal Court Theatre will also commit to running a weekly captioned performance on all their shows post-press night, alongside their usual access performances.
Commenting on the new season, Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone said: “We are honoured at the Royal Court that these writers, theatre-makers and musicians are trusting their unflinching, yet often vulnerable stories and journeys with us to place before you – so we may be enlightened, shocked, entertained, moved and changed. Many of these artists have never worked with us before, many are at the start of their journey and others more experienced are returning to the very personal to make sense of where we are right now. We are honoured to give them our building.”