Soho theatre’s Artistic Director Steve Marmion will co-direct an ambitious new writing project entitled Utopia as part of the venue’s spring season, which also includes the return of hit show A Walk On Part and a new play by Ella Hickson.
Utopia will play from 20 June to 14 July and is co-directed by Max Roberts, Artistic Director of Live Theatre in Newcastle which is collaborating with the Soho theatre to create the production.
As a response to having heard enough about austerity measures and dystopian visions, the Soho theatre has decided to give audiences a more positive viewpoint, commissioning writers to create short plays looking at a different vision of the future, a vision of humankind both being human and kind.
Audiences will be able to follow every step of Utopia from March 2012 when the commissioned writers, actors and creative team will be announced.
Marmion described Utopia as: “A brave new writing project offering utopian visions of the future,” adding the plays would be written by “…some remarkable and unexpected writers.”
Earlier in the season, Headlong theatre will present the London premiere of emerging playwright Hickson’s new play Boys from 30 May (press night 31 May) to 16 June. Directed by Headlong’s Associate Director Robert Icke, Boys is set on finals day for the Class of 2011. Benny, Mack, Timp and Cam are due out of their bedroom flat tomorrow morning. But stepping out into a world that doesn’t want them, these boys start to wonder whether there’s any point in getting any older. How will they find the fight to make it as adults?
Hickson’s plays include Eight and Precious Little Talent, which both played at the Trafalgar Studios 2. The Evening Standard Award-nominated playwright’s most recent offering, Gift, was presented as part of Decade, Headlong’s 2011 project in response to the anniversary of 9/11.
The spring season offers more drama with the return of political piece A Walk On Part from 21 March to 14 April and the award-winning children’s puppetry show Swamp Juice playing from 17 April to 5 May.
In the Soho’s smaller Upstairs space the venue will host plays including Kali Theatre’s sinister prison-set drama Mustafa from 7 to 24 March, Deafinitely Theatre’s Gold Dust, which looks at the lives of Deaf people living in the Black Country and plays from 28 to 31 March, and Janice Okoh’s new play Egusi Soup which will play from 23 May to 9 June.
Speaking about the spring season, which also includes a full line-up of comedy and cabaret, Marmion said: “It’s thrilling to continue supporting new work from emerging artists and companies Upstairs and to present an incredible comedy and cabaret line-up Downstairs. It’s another non-stop season loaded with the best in new writing, comedy and cabaret.”
For full details of the venue’s spring season visit the Soho theatre’s website.
CM