NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND AND THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY’S PRODUCTION OF DUNSINANE RETURNS IN 2013.
Dunsinane
by David Greig
Directed by Roxana Silbert
Cast includes: George Brockbanks, Helen Darbyshire, Tom Gill, Sandy Grierson, Lewis Howden, Joshua Jenkins, Tony McGeever, Alex Mann, Mairi Morrison, Jonny Phillips, Daniel Rose and Siobhan Redmond
Touring Scotland and the UK 2013
Dunsinane, David Greig’s majestic sequel to Shakespeare’s Macbeth has proved a major hit with audiences in England and Scotland since it was first premiered by the RSC at Hampstead Theatre in 2010. The production received its Scottish premiere in 2011, at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh.
Siobhan Redmond and Jonny Phillips will reprise their roles as Gruach and Siward. respectively.
The National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company are delighted to remount this production and to tour it to the main stages of theatres across Scotland and the UK in 2013.
The production will open at Eden Court, Inverness (24 to 31 August) and tour to His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen (3 to 7 September) and Theatre Royal Glasgow (10 to 14 September), Oxford Playhouse, Oxford (17 to 21 September), Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham (24 to 28 September), Kings Theatre, Edinburgh (1 to 5 October), Bath Theatre Royal, Bath (8 to 12 October).
Dunsinane is the setting for Greig’s play, the Scottish garrison town where the English occupying army is ready to commence battle and historically believed to be the site of a battle where Malcolm defeated Macbeth in 1054.
Greig has taken Scotland’s real landscape and history and dramatically mixed it with the setting of Shakespeare’s play, one of the most famous landscapes in literature, even though Shakespeare himself never set foot on Scottish soil.
Macbeth is dead. Under cover of night, the English army has swept through the landscape, killed the tyrant and taken the seat of power.
Attempting to restore peace and put in place a new ruler, the commanding officer is beset by a brutal guerrilla uprising and simmering discontent amongst his own inexperienced troops.
Struggling to grasp the alien customs and politics of this harsh country, he finds himself drawn towards the tyrant’s powerful widow in search of someone to share his burden of responsibility.
Increasingly isolated from his own men and Scottish allies alike, his efforts to restore order appear futile as the situation spirals out of control.
“A work of compelling intelligence, provocation and wit.” The Guardian ****
“Instead of being an intriguing exercise in reimagining history, the play becomes the frankly thrilling spectacle of one of the country’s leading writers using its biggest stage as the great public forum of debate…If it’s riveting spectacle, challenging ideas and human drama you want, this is the show to see.” The Times * * * *
The creative team are David Greig (writer) Roxana Silbert (director) Luke Kernaghan (associate director), Anna Morrissey (movement director), Polly Bennett (associate movement director), Robert Innes Hopkins (designer), Nick Powell (composer and sound designer), Chahine Yavroyan (lighting designer), Terry King (fight director), Stephen Kemble (voice coach), Ruth Cooper-Brown (archery consultant), Danny Short (musical director and guitarist), Robert Owen (percussion), Jessica Cox (cello).
Please visit www.nationaltheatrescotland.com for full box office, ticket and audience information as it becomes available.
Press contacts:
Adam McDougall, Press Officer – adam.mcdougall@nationaltheatrescotland.com
Tel: +44 (0)141 227 9231 M: +44 (0)7738 153157
Emma Schad – Press Manager – emma.schad@nationaltheatrescotland.com
Tel: +44 (0)141 227 9016 M: +44 (0)7930 308018
Press Images:
There is a selection of images for current productions available for download from www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/press – please contact the press office for a password
You can follow the National Theatre of Scotland’s press office on Twitter @NTS_press
Join the conversation: #Dunsinane
Cast & Creative Team Information
David Greig – writer
David is a playwright, screenwriter and director.
His work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, One Day in Spring, Glasgow Girls, Peter Pan, The Bacchae, Futurology: A Global Review and Gobbo. His production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened in the West End earlier this year and his new play The Events premieres at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in August 2013. Other theatre highlights include The Monster In The Hall, Midsummer, Yellow Moon, Being Norwegian, Damascus, Pyrenees, San Diego, The American Pilot, Outlying Islands and The Cosmonaut’s Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union.
Roxana Silbert – director
Roxana is artistic director of Birmingham REP.
She was previously associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, artistic director at Paines Plough and Literary Director at the Traverse Theatre. Theatre productions include Little Eagles, Brixton Stories (RSC), Strawberries in January (Paines Plough/Traverse, Edinburgh), Under the Black Flag (Shakespeare’s Globe), After the End (Paines Plough/ Traverse/ Bush/ 59e59/ international tour), The Slab Boys, Still Life from the Slab Boys Trilogy (Traverse, Edinburgh/national tour), The People Next Door (Traverse/ Theatre Royal Stratford East) and Iron (Traverse, Edinburgh/ Royal Court, London).
Jonny Phillips – Siward
Jonny’s work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes Dunsinane (with Royal Shakespeare Company).
His other theatre work includes True Love Lies and A Woman of No Importance (Royal Exchange Manchester), Othello (Cheek by Jowl /world tour), Hedda Gabler (Donmar/tour), Murder in the Cathedral, Venetian Twins, The Country Wife (RSC), The Grace of Mary Traverse (Royal Court, London), and Mary Stuart (Citizens Theatre Glasgow). Television work includes The Village, Death in Paradise, Hunted, Dark Matters, Forgotten Few, Spooks, Hustle and Holby City. Film work includes You Instead, Bronson and The Edge of Love.
Siobhan Redmond – Gruach
Siobhan’s work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes Dunsinane (with Royal Shakespeare Company), The House Of Bernarda Alba and Mary Stuart. Recent theatre highlights include The President Has Come To See You, Death Tax, Untitled Matriarch Play (The Open Court, Royal Court) and Dr Faustus (West Yorkshire Playhouse / Citizens, Glasgow). She has also worked extensively for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Donmar Warehouse, the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe. Television work includes Case Histories, Bob Servant, The Town, Benidorm, The Smoking Room, The Catherine Tate Show, The High Life and Between The Lines. Film work includes Beautiful People, Karmic Mothers, Captives, Duet for One and Latin for a Dark Room. Radio work includes seven series ofMcLevy for Radio 4.
Sandy Grierson – Malcolm
Sandy’s previous work with the National Theatre of Scotland includes Little Otik (with Vanishing Point) and Home. Recent theatre work includes Mr Holgado (Unicorn, London), Arabian Nights (Tricycle, London), The Tempest, Comedy Of Errors, Twelfth Night, The 13 Midnight Challenges of Angelus Diablo (Royal Shakespeare Company), Saturday Night, Subway, Lost Ones, Man Cub, Stars Beneath the Sea, The Invisible Man (Vanishing Point), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Headlong), Zorro (Visible Fictions / Traverse, Edinburgh), Gagarin Way (Bath Theatre Royal), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe andThe Wizard of Oz, (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh).
Lewis Howden – Macduff
His previous work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes Calum’s Road, Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off and Our Teacher’s A Troll. Other theatre credits include: Merlin, Mother Courage (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh), Macbeth, Medea, King Lear (Theatre Babel), Knives in Hens, Loose Ends, (Traverse, Edinburgh), No Mean City (Citizens Theatre), A Slow Air (59E59, New York / The Tricycle, London), Edwin Morgan’s Dreams & other Nightmares, Beauty Queen of Leenane), (Tron, Glasgow), The Crucible, Glengarry Glen Ross (Arches, Glasgow). Television work includes: Taggart, Rebus, Monarch of the Glen, Rosaleen, Hope Springs and Shetland.
Alex Mann – Egham
His previous work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes Dunsinane and for the Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare in a Suitcase. Other theatre work includes The Miser (Watermill, Newbury), Chavs (Lyric, Hammersmith), Sunday is the New Saturday (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), The Art of Success, New England,The Permanent Way and The Cherry Orchard (LAMDA). Television work includes At Home with the Georgians and Hustle.
Listings Information
Eden Court, Inverness
Saturday 24 (preview) / Tue 27 – Sat 31 Aug, 7.30pm / Matinees Thu 29 and Sat 31 Aug, 2pm
Preview £16.50 / All other perfs £21 / Concession all performances except preview £19
Box office 01463 234234 and eden-court.co.uk
Accessible performances: Fri 30 Aug, 7.30pm – BSL; Sat 31 Aug, 7.30pm – AD/CAP
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
Tue 3 – Sat 7 Sept, 7.30pm / Matinees Thu 5 Sept, 2pm & Sat 7 Sept 2.30pm
£15-£24.50 / Premium seat £27.50-£29.50 / Concessions £2 off excl. Fri and Sat 7.30pm perfs
Box office 01224 641122 and boxofficeaberdeen.com
Theatre Royal, Glasgow
Tue 10 – Sat 14 Sept, 7.30pm / Matinees Thu 12 and Sat 14 Sept, 2.30pm
£10-£25 / Premium seats £29.50 / Various concession rates on offer – contact box office
Box office 0844 871 7647 and atgtickets.com/glasgow
Accessible performances: Thu 12 Sept, 7.30pm – AD/CAP; Fri 13 Sept, 2.30pm – BSL
Oxford Playhouse, Oxford
Tue 17- Thu 19 and Sat 21 September, 7.30pm / Fri 20 Sept, 8pm / Matinees Thu 19 and Sat 21 Sept, 2.30pm
£10-£25.50 / Various concession rates on offer – contact box office
Box office 01865 305305 and oxfordplayhouse.com
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham
Tue 24 Sept, 7pm / Wed 25-Sat 28 Sept, 7.30pm / Matinees Thu 26 and Sat 28 Sept, 2pm
£7-£35 / Concessions available – contact box office
Box office 0121 236 4455 and birmingham-rep.co.uk
Accessible performances:
Sat 28 Sept, 2pm – AD; 7.30pm CAP
After Dark Wed 25 Sept – post-show discussion with cast and creatives.
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
Tue 1 – Sat 5 Oct, 7.30pm / Matinees Wed 2 and Sat 5 Oct, 2.30pm
£14-£27.50, Premium Seats up to £29.50 / Concessions available – contact box office
Box office 0131 529 6000 and edtheatres.com
Accessible performances: Thu 3 Oct, 7.30pm – CAP; Sat 5 Oct, 1.30pm – touch tour, 2.30pm – BSL
Theatre Royal, Bath
Tue 8 – Wed 9 Oct, 7.30pm / Thu 10 – Sat 12 Oct, 8pm / Matinee Wed 9 and Sat 12 Oct, 2.30pm
£17.50-33.50 / Concessions available – contact box office
Box office 01225 448844 and theatreroyal.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
- Since its launch in February 2006, the National Theatre of Scotland has been involved in creating 190 productions in 168 different locations.
- With no building of its own, the company takes theatre all over Scotland and beyond, working with existing and new venues and companies to create and tour theatre of the highest quality.
- It takes place in the great buildings of Scotland, but also in site-specific locations, airports and tower blocks, community halls and drill halls, ferries and forests. The company has performed to over 830,000 people across four continents. The company is core-funded by the Scottish Government. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
- The Royal Shakespeare Company aims to keep audiences in touch with Shakespeare as our contemporary – understanding his work through today’s artists, actors and writers. Therefore, the Company’s repertoire not only includes the work of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, but classic plays by international dramatists and work by living writers. The RSC also produces extensive education and outreach work to engage more people with Shakespeare’s work and live theatre. The RSC’s work is performed throughout the year in Stratford-upon-Avon, regularly in London and throughout the United Kingdom. Although the UK is the company’s home, its audiences are global with regular performances in international theatres. For more information about the Royal Shakespeare Company visit www.rsc.org.uk.
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Contact: Adam McDougall
Phone: 0141 227 9231
Email: adam.mcdougall@nationaltheatrescotland.com
Website: http://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
