Today the Royal Court Theatre announces Artistic Director David Byrne’s second season. Featuring seven plays and a new writing festival, the 24/25 season brings together Royal Court debut writers and long-time collaborators for a programme of work that spans the globe from South Africa to Singapore, from Palestine and New York to the North East of England. Traversing the past, present and future, each of these plays speaks to the world we live in now.
JERWOOD THEATRE DOWNSTAIRS
Robert Icke makes his Royal Court debut with the world premiere of Manhunt, a co-production with Sonia Friedman Productions which tells the story of Raoul Moat: the man at the heart of one of the most infamous manhunts of the century.
Tensions rise when a mysterious new shack springs up in a suburban gated community in the world premiere of A Good House, a biting satire about neighbourhood politics by Amy Jephta, co-produced with Bristol Old Vic in association with The Market Theatre.
Sutara Gayle, AKA award-winning reggae artist Lorna Gee, takes us on an epic spiritual journey traversing her extraordinary family history, from a silent retreat in India, to Jamaica, to the Brixton uprising, with spell-binding original music in The Legends of Them, a Hackney Showroom production originated with Brixton House.
Transferring to the Royal Court directly from a run at New York Theatre Workshop, writer and performer Khawla Ibraheem’s A Knock on the Roof is the witty, gripping and heart-wrenching tale of Mariam, a woman in Gaza who is preparing for war.
JERWOOD THEATRE UPSTAIRS
25 years on from its debut run at the Royal Court, the full original cast and creative team return to the Theatre Upstairs to revisit Sarah Kane’s era-defining final play, 4.48 Psychosis, in a co-production with The Royal Shakespeare Company.
What happens when the Chinese government demands the British Museum returns a stolen artefact? Joel Tan’s Scenes from a Repatriation is a kaleidoscopic examination into the relationship between art, power and empire, which interrogates the global politics of returning statues.
More Life is a sci-fi gothic horror by Lauren Mooney and James Yeatman of Kandinsky which, set in 2075, explores the ethics of transhumanism, and the impact of technology on human existence.
A brand new festival of staged readings, Open Submissions Festival will provide a regular professional platform for brilliant new writing identified through the Royal Court’s open programmes.
David Byrne, Artistic Director of the Royal Court, said, “Across the past nine months we’ve been bringing together the best writers, collaborations and stories to thrill audiences at the Court - and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Every show in this season delivers on the Royal Court promise of a combustible night at the theatre.
From reggae royalty to Robert Icke, from glimpses of the far future to echoes from the recent past, from international playwrights to the best UK theatre makers - every show in this line-up is an unmissable theatrical event. The writers at the Royal Court have got something to say, and this season you’re not going to want to miss a single word.”
Across this season, the Royal Court will forge creative partnerships with Bristol Old Vic; The Royal Shakespeare Company; Sonia Friedman Productions; piece by piece productions, New York; Kandinsky; Hackney Showroom; Brixton House and The Market Theatre, South Africa.
As part of its commitment to open up world-class theatre to the widest possible audience, the theatre also announces an expansion of their access performances offering. Across three Theatre Upstairs productions in this season, the Royal Court is partnering with Bump & Baby Club to host Babes in Arms performances, with soft play in the Bar & Kitchen. The theatre is also partnering with Age UK Kensington & Chelsea to host Age UK Performances, which will be free for Age UK members, will be captioned and will include complimentary tea and biscuits in the Bar & Kitchen, in an effort to fight isolation and encourage community. In addition, the regularly programmed Captioned and Chilled performances will now offer pre-show familiarisation tours, and BSL-Interpreted and Audio-Described performances continue across the season.
This announcement follows the recent launch of The Writers’ Card, the Royal Court’s free-to-join membership for writers which endeavours to support the next generation of playwrights with a wealth of opportunities, for which 4,000 playwrights across the country have signed up so far. The opportunities include Career Surgeries, Writers’ Canteens and Writers’ Nights, Zoom focus writing sessions, free printing, bookable rooms and a Writers’ Card Menu in the Bar & Kitchen. As part of this renewed support for writers, the Royal Court has also announced a new funded invitational Writers’ Retreat programme, an Unpublished Writers’ Award supported by Concord Theatricals and the aforementioned inaugural Open Submissions Festival, which will become a regular event in the Royal Court calendar.
Tickets for all newly announced productions go on sale to supporters from 12 noon on Thursday 17 October, to Friends and Good Friends at 12 noon on Wednesday 23 October, and to the general public at 12 noon on Monday 28 October.
SHOW BY SHOW
Royal Court Theatre presents a Hackney Showroom production originated with Brixton House
The Legends of Them
By Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee
Co-created by Nina Lyndon & Jo McInnes
Directed by Jo McInnes
Performed by Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee
Thursday 5 - Saturday 21 December 2024
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Press night: Tuesday 10 December 2024, 7pm
“For the first time in my life, everything was silent”
A memory: South London reggae pioneer Sutara Gayle – aka Lorna Gee – hears her radio debut from Holloway Prison. Another: she's engulfed in the Brixton uprising sparked by the police shooting of her sister. And now she is here, a silent retreat, seeking spiritual guidance from her brother Mooji, Nanny of the Maroons, and a moment of transcendence.
Powered by high-octane musical numbers, virtuoso performance and raucous comedy, The Legends of Them is a breath-taking, roof-raising chronicle of Sutara’s singular, extraordinary life – and of the legends that have guided her.
For a limited run only, the Royal Court presents Hackney Showroom’s unmissable The Legends of Them, written and performed by British actor and internationally acclaimed reggae artist Sutara Gayle, aka Lorna Gee, and directed by Jo McInnes.
Sutara Gayle said, ‘’I am beyond thrilled to be bringing my show to the Royal Court Theatre. It’s a prayer answered. The process of making this show has been enlightening, challenging and therapeutic. I’m excited to share my journey to the world, it’s one that won’t stop until I take my last breath. My hope is that audiences will come away feeling they can embrace their own journey, take control of their own narrative and stand in their own power.”
Jo McInnes said “The Royal Court was the building that brought Sutara, Nina Lyndon and I together. Nina met us both here [at the Royal Court] many years ago at different times, which gave her the idea of bringing us together for a creative collaboration. It’s so good to be back with this epic tale of Sutara’s journey.”
Royal Court Theatre and Bristol Old Vic in association with The Market Theatre present
A Good House - WORLD PREMIERE
By Amy Jephta
Directed by Nancy Medina
Saturday 11 January - Saturday 8 February 2025
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Press night: Friday 17 January 2025, 7pm
“Once they’ve been here long enough, they’re no longer squatters. Then they’re simply… Neighbours.”
In the quaint suburban community of Stillwater, a mysterious shack springs up from the dust with the inhabitants nowhere to be seen.
As speculation abounds, new residents Sihle and Bonolo are recruited by their neighbourhood to be the face of a campaign to demolish the shack in this biting satire of community politics.
A Good House is a thrilling and comedic new work, from writer Amy Jephta, about a couple who discover the limits of good neighbourliness and what is required to fit in.
Directed by Nancy Medina (Trouble in Mind, National Theatre), A Good House is a co-production with Bristol Old Vic in association with The Market Theatre, Johannesburg.
A Good House was originally co-commissioned by the Royal Court Theatre with the Fugard Theatre, South Africa.
Amy Jephta said, "The Court has been instrumental in my development and growth as a playwright since I started collaborating with them in 2012. To now have a full-length piece of work that has been so gently nurtured is a creative dream come true. I’ve been given the space and time to discover what I want to say, and I’m thrilled that the 2025 season will culminate what has been an intensely fulfilling development period and over a decade of collaborations with this incredible theatre.”
Nancy Medina said, “It’s a real thrill to be working with the Royal Court next season on this production. Amy Jephta is a powerful and skilful voice. Her writing is quick and clever; multilayered and deliciously sharp. She pulls on all the insecurities and nuances of neighbourly dynamics to create something brilliantly unsettling. Under David Byrne’s tenure at the Royal Court, we’re being introduced to the most exciting writers out there and I’m privileged to be part of the team sharing this work next season.”
Royal Court Theatre in association with Kandinsky Theatre Company presents
More Life - WORLD PREMIERE
By Lauren Mooney and James Yeatman
Thursday 6 February - Saturday 8 March 2025
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Press night: Wednesday 12 February 2025, 7pm
‘Imagine yourself as a file on a computer: That’s you. That’s what you are now.’
A woman wakes up in 2075, in a body that is not her own.
Fifty years ago, Bridget died in a car accident. Now, thanks to a technological breakthrough, she is back: her mind, her consciousness, in a synthetic body. Metal. Wires. But she’s still Bridget, isn’t she? She must be.
This sci-fi gothic horror from internationally acclaimed theatre company Kandinsky is set in a future where pain and death are going rapidly out of date. More Life is a thrilling exploration of what it means to be human.
They say the first person to live forever has already been born. This is the world they are making for us.
A Royal Court commission, previously developed with support from Cockayne Foundation, Unity Theatre Trust, Arts Council England, the National Theatre Studio and New Diorama Theatre.
The Royal Court is grateful to Sandra Treagus For ATA Assoc. Ltd for supporting this production.
Lauren Mooney and James Yeatman said, “The premiere of More Life in 2025 will mark a decade since our first show as Kandinsky, also for David Byrne, back at the New Diorama Theatre. It was inspired by a true story about a serial dog murderer. We couldn't get any funding, and had to operate the lights ourselves. Now, ten years on, we’re making a show for one of the most magic, transformational spaces in London, at a theatre that is truly an icon in the landscape of British theatre. We couldn't be prouder, or more excited, or more grateful to have been part of David's story over the last ten years. We can't wait for people to see More Life.”
Royal Court Theatre and piece by piece productions present
A Knock on the Roof - LONDON PREMIERE
By Khawla Ibraheem
Directed and developed by Oliver Butler
Friday 21 February - Saturday 8 March 2025
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Press night: Wednesday 26 February 2025, 7pm
“The readier you are, the better chance of survival you have”
Pack Bag. Set timer. Run. Repeat.
Mariam knows the army often drops small warning bombs – a knock on the roof - giving tenants in Gaza 5-15 minutes to evacuate before their home is destroyed.
With dry wit and determination, Mariam meticulously rehearses for the run of her life, deliberating what – and who- she can take with her.
Written by and starring Khawla Ibraheem, this unforgettable new play about obsession, survival and everyday life in Gaza is directed by Obie Award winner Oliver Butler (What the Constitution Means to Me) direct from an Off-Broadway run at New York Theatre Workshop.
Khawla Ibraheem said, "I first met the work of the Royal Court Theatre through their writing workshop in Ramallah, Palestine in 2021. Ever since then, I've appreciated how this visionary theatre fosters creative international conversations through art, providing a home for artists to explore, experience, create, and share their work at every stage in the process. After participating in the very beginning of the artistic process with the Royal Court four years ago, I'm proud and flattered to be able to return to this community as the writer and performer of a fully-realized production."
Royal Court Theatre and Sonia Friedman Productions present
Manhunt - WORLD PREMIERE
Written and directed by Robert Icke
Friday 28 March - Saturday 3 May 2025
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Press night: Monday 7 April 2025, 7pm
‘Raoul Moat was a callous murderer. Full Stop. End of story’ - David Cameron
On July 1st, 2010, Raoul Moat was released from Durham Prison.
The events of the next few days would leave a man murdered, a police officer blinded, a woman fighting for her life - and spark the biggest manhunt in UK history.
Award-winning writer and director Robert Icke (Oedipus, Player Kings, West End) provides a chilling portrait of a man on the run.
A Royal Court commission, presented in co-production with Sonia Friedman Productions.
Robert Icke said, “I'm delighted to be making a production at the Royal Court and to be working with David Byrne, his team and Sonia Friedman Productions. I couldn't be more excited to begin.”
Royal Court Theatre presents
Open Submissions Festival
Monday 7 - Saturday 12 April 2025
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Each year, we receive thousands more plays than we can possibly programme.
From 2025, an annual festival of staged readings will take place in our Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, featuring some of the most thrilling scripts we read each year.
With permission from the writers – and payment for the rights to present the readings – we’ll bring together a professional team to give these plays the best spotlight and platform possible.
Gillian Greer, Associate Playwright and Dramaturg at the Royal Court Theatre and co-curator of the festival, said, “There are hundreds of excellent plays sitting in drawers around the country, in need of a talented creative team and space to bring them to life. We are delighted to offer this opportunity to five stand out writers who bravely shared their plays with us this year. These plays represent the most exciting work we have read amongst the thousands of plays submitted to us this year - we can't wait to share them with you!”
Royal Court Theatre presents
Scenes from a Repatriation - WORLD PREMIERE
By Joel Tan
Directed by emma + pj
Friday 25 April - Saturday 24 May 2025
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Press night: Wednesday 30 April 2025, 7pm
‘All of human history? It’s basically people taking things from each other’
A 1000-year-old statue of the Boddhisattva Guan Yin lives in The British Museum.
When it emerges that the statue was stolen from its original home, the museum attempts to deflect both the public response and controversial repatriation claims from the Chinese government.
As statesmen scheme and grease their palms, beneath the statue witches dance, a cleaner prays, and spirits weep. Guan Yin's gaze falls over the broken shards of human life from empires old and new.
Joel Tan's shape-shifting play unfolds the statue’s journey from China to Britain and back again, stirring up centuries of ghosts. Directed by experimental theatre-makers emma + pj (Ghosts of the Near Future, Barbican), Scenes from a Repatriation questions who can claim cultural artefacts – and why.
A Royal Court Theatre commission.
Joel is this year’s recipient of the Jerwood New Playwright accolade. The Royal Court Theatre’s Jerwood New Playwright Programme is supported by Jerwood Foundation.
Joel Tan said, "My first visit to the British Museum forever changed the way I look at ethnographic displays of art. There, I see spirits bound by gazes and violent acts of storytelling. I wrote this play to imagine what release might look like."
emma + pj said, "We are deeply honoured to have been trusted to bring Joel Tan's wild and searing new play to life. We can't wait to collaborate with Joel, David, and the brilliant team at the Royal Court on this thrilling adventure, building on a legacy of boldness, ambition, and innovation in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs."
Royal Court Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company present
4.48 Psychosis
By Sarah Kane
Directed by James McDonald
Starring Daniel Evans, Jo McInnes and Madeleine Potter
Designed by Jeremy Herbert
Lighting design by Nigel Edwards
Sound design by Paul Arditti
Thursday 12 June - Saturday 5 July 2025
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Press night: Wednesday 18 June 2025, 7pm
‘I dreamt that I went to the doctors, and she gave me eight minutes to live. I'd been sitting in the fucking waiting room for half an hour’
A quarter century from its debut, the entire original cast and creative team return to the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs to revisit Sarah Kane’s final masterpiece 25 years on.
4.48 Psychosis plunges the audience into the mind of an unnamed protagonist grappling with severe depression. Kane crafts an unflinching portrait of a psyche teetering on the edge of oblivion.
In a co-production with The Royal Shakespeare Company, directed by award-winning James Macdonald (Waiting for Godot, West End) with Daniel Evans, Jo McInnes and Madeline Potter reprising their roles.
4.48 Psychosis is generously supported by a lead gift from Charles Holloway OBE.
James Macdonald said, “I’m honoured to be returning to this unique play in the company of its extraordinary original cast - three brilliant people inhabiting one mind.”
The Royal Court Theatre would like to thank Backstage Trust, Cockayne - Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation, Jerwood Foundation, CHAT (The Common Humanity Arts Trust) and The T.S. Eliot Foundation all for supporting this season of work.
