Two people had a relationship, now they meet 15 years on. Ray has made a new life for himself, he has a new identity, he didn’t think he could be found. Una has thought of nothing else, and on finding a photo of him sets out to find Ray with shattering consequences. Award-winning actors Roger Allam and Jodhi May will recreate their roles as Ray and Una.

Edinburgh born David Harrower made his stage writing debut in 1995 with the play Knives in Hens which proved a critical and popular success. It was translated into many languages and is now seen as a modern European classic having been performed worldwide. His other original plays include: Kill the Old Torture Their Young (Meyer Whitworth Prize 1999), Presence and Dark Earth. David Harrower has also written many stage adaptations including Six Characters in Search of an Author, Ivanov and Woyzek.

Peter Stein, one of the foremost theatre directors, makes his London West End directing debut with Blackbird. He was last in London at the National Theatre in 1987 with his acclaimed production of The Hairy Ape, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director. In 1970 Peter Stein became a founder member of the Berlin’s Schaubühne Theatre and was its Artistic Director until 1985. His other major theatre productions include, for the Edinburgh International Festival, Julius Caesar, Oresteia, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, Wagner’s Parsifal (with Claudio Abbado) and The Seagull. As an Opera director Stein made his debut in 1976 with Das Rheingold. From 1992 – 1997 he was in charge of theatre programming at the Saltzburg Festival where his productions included Wozzeck and Simone Boccanegra. In August this year he directed a production of Sophocles Medea at Epidaurus Festival 2005, Athens. Earlier this week Peter Stein’s production of The Bassarides by Hans Werner Henze opened at the Netherlands Opera, Amsterdam.