Orange Tree Theatre Announces Directors Festival

Orange Tree Theatre have announced their 2019 Directors Festival - showcasing productions by four outstanding directors on The Orange Tree and St. Mary's University's MA Theatre Directing Course.

This year the festival includes:

The Mikvah Project

Written by Jo Azouz and directed by Georgia Green. It follows Eitan and Avi who's vastly separate lives come together every Friday at the Mikvah. Filled with singing and water, chutzpah and joy, we are reminded how easily a heart can break. Cast includes Dylan Mason (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, 42nd Street) and Robert Neumark Jones (One Jewish Boy).

Pilgrims

Written by Elinor Cook and directed by Ellie Goodall is a tale about love, adventure and betrayal. Rachel wants to write about folk songs and war and women, particularly urge to escape. Will and Dan are mountain climbers, adventurers, conquering peak after peak. But who's version is remembered? Cast include Adeyinka Akinrinade (Tartuffe), Nicholas Armfield (Imperium Parts I & II) and Luke MacGregor (Jude, The Winter's Tale).

Sadness and Joy In The Life of Giraffes

Written by Tiago Rodrigues and directed by Wiebke Green. In a city worn down by austerity politics, this UK premiere of a Portuguese tale charts one girl's heroic journey through a chaotic world, accompanied by her suicidal teddy bear Judy Garland. Cast includes Eve Ponsoby (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Little Eyolf), Gyuri Sarossy (The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd, Uncle Vanya) and Nathan Welsh (The Way of the World).

Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography

Written by Declan Greene and directed by Gianluca Lello. Welcome to the Too Much Information Age - this is a UK premiere of a comedy about lust, loneliness and hard drive 21st century dating, from the multi-award winning Australian writer Declan Greene. Cast includes Matthew Douglas (Jesus Hopped the A Train, A Passage To India) and Cate Hamer (Abigail's Party, Kindertransport).

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Adeyinka Akinrinade, Nicholas Armfield, Matthew Douglas, Cate Hamer, Luke MacGregor, Dylan Mason, Robert Neumark Jones, Eve Ponsonby, Gyuri Sarossy and Nathan Welsh will feature in the 2019 Directors' Festival at the Orange Tree Theatre. The festival is a programme of four productions in repertoire from 3 - 11 August: the UK premieres of Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography written by Australia's Declan Greene and Sadness and Joy in the Life of Giraffes written by Portugal's Tiago Rodrigues, and revivals of The Mikvah Project written by Josh Azouz (Buggy Baby) and Pilgrims written by Elinor Cook (Out of Love).

The productions will be directed by Gianluca Lello, Ellie Goodall, Georgia Green and Wiebke Green, who have been studying on the Orange Tree Theatre and St Mary's University MA Theatre Directing course. This is the third cohort of a unique Masters course providing the theatre directors of the future with an exciting year-long training based at the Orange Tree. It is the only course of its kind in the country to be predominantly housed within a producing theatre. Throughout the season they have assisted directors Imogen Bond, Selina Cadell, Guy Jones, Richard Twyman, Chelsea Walker, and Matthew Xia.

The productions are designed by Cory Shipp, with lighting by Chris McDonnell, Sound by Lex Kosanke and casting by Sarah Murray.

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