Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, this new production will be directed by Luke Shepherd, and is set to be produced in Northampton for Christmas 2016, before embarking on a U.K. tour that will be presented by Paul Taylor-Mills.
In addition, four productions will mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death: Peter Whelan's The Herbal Bed, which revolves around Shakespeare's daughter, will be revived in February 2016, directed by James Dacre in a co-production with English Touring Theatre and Kingston's Rose Theatre; Michael Pennington will play the title role in King Lear in April, under the direction of Philip Franks, ahead of a U.K. tour in association with the Ambassador Theatre Group; Tim Crouch will collaborate with Spymonkey to stage all of Shakespeare's death scenes (some 75 of them) in The Complete Deaths in May, ahead of opening at the Brighton Festival and an international tour; and a new version of The Tempest will be presented in June in a new version by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, in a co-production with the National Youth Theatre, under the direction of Caroline Steinbeis.
The season will also include the world premiere of Roy Williams' Soul, the untold story of Marvin Gaye written in close collaboration with members of his family, to be presented at the end of May 2016, and a touring revival of the theatre's 2014 production of A Tale of Two Cities, adapted by Mike Poulton with music by Rachel Portman, which will be staged in September ahead of a national tour.
In a press statement, artistic director James Dacre commented, "Northampton has long been known for its exports and we’re thrilled that Royal & Derngate productions will tour to over 40 theatres across Britain next year in what is perhaps our most ambitious season yet. Spring begins with a festival of four productions to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. We then produce four world premieres, concluding the Summer season with Roy Williams’ new play Soul about the extraordinary life and death of the musical legend Marvin Gaye, before welcoming family audiences next Christmas with the magical tale of Peter and the Starcatcher. It’s worth adding that in the past 24 months, 24 new works have been commissioned by Royal & Derngate – a wonderful tribute to Northampton’s unique artistic community."
To book tickets, contact the box office on 01604 624811 or visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk for more details.
