Hangmen, which will begin performances Sept. 10, prior to an official opening Sept. 17 for a run through Oct. 10, will be directed by Matthew Dunster in the main house Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. In a small pub in Oldham, Harry is something of a local celebrity. But what's the second-best hangman in England to do on the day they've abolished hanging? Amongst those dying to hear Harry's reaction to the news, a peculiar stranger lurks, with a very different motive for his visit.
McDonagh's most recent play, A Behanding in Spokane, premiered on Broadway in 2010. His previous plays for the Royal Court, which subsequently transferred to Broadway, include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, A Skull in Connemara and The Lonesome West. Other plays include The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Pillowman, both of which were originally produced at the National Theatre and have also been seen on Broadway and The Lieutenant of Inishmore (premiered by the RSC and subsequently seen on Broadway).
RoosevElvis, which will begin performances Oct. 21 prior to an official opening Oct. 26 for a run through Nov. 14 in the main house Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, is being assembled by Brooklyn-based ensemble the TEAM, which is dedicated to creating new work about the experience of living in America today. It is written by Rachel Chavkin (who also directs), Libby King, Jake Margolin, and Kristen Sieh, and created in collaboration with Matt Hubbs, Andrew Schneider, and Nick Vaughan. It is performed by King and Sieh.
On a hallucinatory road trip from the Badlands to Graceland, the spirits of Elvis Presley and Theodore Roosevelt battle over the soul of Ann, a painfully shy meat-processing plant worker, and what kind of man or woman Ann should become. Set against the boundless blue skies of the Great Plains and endless American highway, RoosevElvis is described in press materials as a new work about gender, appetite, and the multitudes we contain.
The TEAM, which is now in its 10h year as an ensemble, has previously toured nine works nationally and internationally, including winning four Scotsman Fringe First Awards for their visits to the Edinburgh Fringe. Also in the Royal Court's fall and winter season there are premieres for Cordelia Lynn's Lela & Co, Nicola Wilson's Plagues and Tangles, Penelope Skinner's Linda and the UK premiere of Korean-American playwright Mia Chung's You for Me For You.
To book tickets for the season, which are on general sale from July 17, contact the box office on 020 7565 5000 or visit www.royalcourttheatre.com
