The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has introduced full casting for its upcoming productions of The Empress, by Tanika Gupta, and world premiere of Falkland Sound by Brad Birch, which is able to open within the Swan Theatre within the Summer of 2023.
These well timed and evocative performs are introduced sharply into focus in 2023 and supply contemporary perspective on Britain’s relationship with its imperial previous and the way it continues to form the nation’s id immediately.
The Empress will run within the Swan Theatre from Friday 7 July to Friday 15 September 2023, with press night time on Tuesday 18 July earlier than transferring to the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London from Wednesday 4 October to Saturday 28 October, with press night time on Tuesday 10 October. The manufacturing will then return to the Swan Theatre from Wednesday 1 November to Saturday 18 November 2023.
Falkland Sound will run within the Swan Theatre from Saturday 5 August to Saturday 16 September 2023, with press night time on Tuesday 15 August.
Erica Whyman, RSC Acting Artistic Director stated: “The RSC has always believed it essential to support and celebrate the living writers who can expose new ways of seeing our collective history and conjure a brave new world that we don’t yet understand. The Empress by Tanika Gupta – now on the GCSE syllabus – presents an extraordinary friendship and a beautiful love story, whilst forensically exposing the blithe injustice of empire. Falkland Sound by Brad Birch explores with compassion the human experience of the Islanders during the conflict, and the ferocious politics which informed the British response. Now more than ever it takes courage to speak these truths, as new cultural wars roar and mutter.”
THE EMPRESS
Set in 1887, the yr of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the play tells the story of the sixteen-year-old Rani Das, ayah (nursemaid) to an English household, who arrives at Tilbury docks after a protracted voyage from India, to start out a brand new life in Britain. On the boat, Rani befriends a lascar (sailor), an Indian politician and a royal servant destined to serve the Queen. Full of hopes and goals of what lies forward, they every embark on a unprecedented journey.
Spanning a interval of 13 years over the ‘Golden Era’ of Empire, this epic drama takes audiences from the rugged gangways of Tilbury docks to the grandeur of Queen Victoria’s Palace, while unveiling the lengthy and embedded tradition of British Asian historical past which continues to form our society immediately.
Making her RSC debut, Tanya Katyal will play Rani Das. Her theatre credit embody When Mountains Meet at Cottiers Theatre, Glasgow. Television credit embody Netflix’s Eternally Confused and Eager for Love.
Raj Bajaj will play Abdul Karim. Raj’s earlier RSC credit embody Tamburlaine, Tartuffe and Much Ado About Nothing. Other latest theatre credit embody Wildfire Road (Sheffield Crucible), Tartuffe (Birmingham Rep), Hobson’s Choice (Royal Exchange Manchester), Rapunzel (Stratford East), Lions & Tigers, The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare’s Globe), East is East (Northern Stage/Nottingham Playhouse) and Bend It Like Beckham (Phoenix Theatre).
Helen Schlesinger will play Queen Victoria. Helen’s earlier RSC credit embody The God’s Weep, The Crucible, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night. Other latest theatre Credits embody Straight Line Crazy (The Bridge Theatre), Henry V, Henry IV Parts 1 & II, Hamlet, As You Like It (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre), Albion (Almeida Theatre), Boys Will Be Boys (Bush Theatre), Frozen (Park Theatre), Single Spies (Rose Theatre), Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse), Bracken Moor (Tricycle Theatre). Recent display credit embody Midsomer Murders, Lewis (Vivienne) Eastenders,
Completing the corporate are: Francesca Faridany (Lady Sarah), Aaron Gill (Hari), Anyebe Godwin (Serang/Lascar), Miriam Grace Edwards (Charlotte/Georgina), Oliver Hembrough (Sir John Oakham/William), Avita Jay (Firoza), Tom Milligan (Freddie), Sarah Moyle (Mary/Susan Matthews), Chris Nayak (Jinnah/Singh), Lauren Patel (Ruby/Asha), Simon Rivers (Dadabhai Naoroji), Anish Roy (Gandhi/Lascar), Nicola Stephenson (Lascar Sally), Premi Tamang (Lascar/Ayah) and Joe Usher (Lascar).
The Empress first premiered within the Swan Theatre in 2013 and was directed by Emma Rice.
The play-text was not too long ago added to the GCSE drama syllabus following a marketing campaign spearheaded by the RSC’s Youth Advisory Board and one in every of 4 new performs by writers of color to higher replicate the variety of playwriting within the UK. The textual content was launched by AQA in 2022, the most important examination board in England. Tanika’s 2019 manufacturing of A Doll’s House was beforehand added to the nationwide curriculum by Pearson in 2021 alongside works by Bola Agbaje, In-Sook Chappell and Roy Williams.
Tanika Gupta has written over 25 stage performs which were produced in main theatres throughout the UK. Her critically acclaimed adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House set in colonial Calcutta launched Rachel O’Riordan’s first season as Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in 2019.
Tanika was awarded an MBE for Services to Drama and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Tanika is an Artistic Associate on the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and was not too long ago introduced as one in every of two new Writers in Residence at The Bush Theatre in 2023. For additional particulars, go to www.tanikagupta.com
The manufacturing is directed by Pooja Ghai with Design by Rosa Maggiora. Lighting is by Matt Haskins, Music and Sound by Ben and Max Ringham, Movement by Wayne Parsons, and Casting by Matthew Dewsbury CDG and Martin Poile.
FALKLAND SOUND
This new play is impressed by the real-life testimonies of those that lived via the Falklands conflictand explores a neighborhood and lifestyle turned the wrong way up following the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentine forces in April 1982.
The firm consists of: Eduardo Arcelus (Gabriel), Alvaro Flores (Sebastian/One), Sandy Foster (Rosie/Clare), Anyebe Godwin (Jacob), Joanne Howarth (Mrs Hargreaves/Thatcher), Oliver Hembrough (Geoff/Dad), Avita Jay (Sue/Three), Tom Milligan (John/Two), Sarah Moyle (Mary/Joan), Lauren Patel (Sally), Simon Rivers (Edwin/Editor) and Joe Usher (Robbie).
Brad Birch is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter from Wales whose work has been produced within the UK, USA, Japan, Russia, Germany, Spain, Italy and Malta. His performs embody Missing People, Black Mountain, The Brink, Gardening: For the Unfulfilled and Alienated (winner of the Edinburgh Fringe First award, 2013) and Tender Bolus.
In 2016, he was awarded the Harold Pinter Commission on the Royal Court. His performs are revealed by Methuen Drama and his first anthology, Plays One, was revealed in 2018. He is at the moment underneath fee with Rooks Nest and Film4.
Falkland Sound is directed by Aaron Parsons with Design by Aldo Vázquez, Lighting by Amy Mae, Music by Jack Drewry, Sound by Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, Casting by Matthew Dewsbury CDG and Martin Poile.