The opening season will be launched with a return run of random by debbie tucker green [sic]. The work was first seen at the Royal Court in 2008, beginning performances March 3 for a three-week season through March 27, which will then be followed by the transfers of three productions from the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs' current season.

These comprise Anupama Chanrasekhar's Disconnect (March 31 to April 3), DC Moore's The Empire (June 2-5) and Anya Reiss' Spur of the Moment (Aug. 25-28).

Sponsored by Bloomberg to the tune of £100,000 for the next three years, Theatre Local aims to present theatre in a variety of different locations, starting at the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, with plans to build and expand in the future.

In a press statement, the Royal Court's artistic director Dominic Cooke commented, "Theatre Local is a new initiative which takes Royal Court plays to the heart of a community that may not otherwise get the chance to see our work. It forms an integral part of our ambition to create unpredictable relationships between new plays and audiences."

The Royal Court previously transferred the Theatre Upstairs production of Oxford Street to the shopping centre in June 2008, and Cook comments, "After Oxford Street in 2008, we felt Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre was the perfect base for us to start this venture. It sits at the centre of one of the most vibrant and diverse communities in Europe and we are looking forward to forging links with local people and welcoming new audiences to our shows. Experiencing these four very different plays in the bustling environment of a shopping centre should be a thrilling and invigorating experience for everyone involved. We hope it will contribute to creating a new generation of audiences at the Court, both at our home in Sloane Square and beyond." Tickets for the season, which takes place in Retail Unit 215-216 at the Elephant and Castle shopping centre, are £8 (or £5 for concessions). A limited number are available in advance from the Royal Court Box office on 020 7565 5000 or via www.royalcourtheatre.com, with further tickets to be released during the week of the performance itself. A minimum of 20 tickets will be available on the day of the performance.