Actors Touring Company & Unicorn Presents UK Debut of MARTYR, Now thru Oct 10

The UK premiere of MARTYR by Marius von Maybenburg will be directed by Ramin Gray at the Unicorn Theatre, tonight, September 16, to October 10. Press Night September 17, 2015. Actors Touring Company teams with Unicorn to present von Mayenburg's study of religious radicalisation in the classroom.

Benjamin won't do swimming at school. His mum thinks he's on drugs or has body issues. But Benjamin has found God and mixed-sex swimming lessons offend him. So begins the teenager's journey towards religious extremism. The school wishes to accommodate all faiths but when will they recognise the threat that his religious belief has on their own liberal ethos? As Benjamin terrorises the staff and fellow students alike, only one teacher is prepared to take a stand. How far is she willing to go and what will she risk to defend her own deeply held convictions?

Veering from the humorous to the sinister and ultimately to the shocking, Martyr is a provocative and urgent exploration of the clash between fundamentalism and tolerance in Western democracy. This is a play that considers how far we should go in accommodating another's faith and when it is right to take a stand for our own opposing values.

Bringing together audiences both young and old, this autumn Actors Touring Company, the UK's leading producer of international contemporary theatre is co-producing with Unicorn, the UK's principle professional theatre company for young audiences to present a drama of our times by Germany's leading playwright Marius Von Mayenburg.

Artistic director of Actors Touring Company and director of Martyr, Ramin Gray says:- "If the defining event of our time is the clash between the fundamentalist and liberal perspective, then Martyr is the play for today. If theatre can play a useful role in creating a space for the important conversations to take place, then Martyr is the play for today. If theatre not only reflects but interrogates our social structures and values through humour, provocation and conflict, then Martyr is the play for today."

One of Germany's most prominent young playwrights, Marius von Mayenburg was awarded the Kleist Prize for young dramatists for his first play Fireface in 1997, the Frankfurt Writer's Foundation Prize in 1998 and was named 1999's up-and-coming writer by the magazine Theaterheute. His work, which includes Turista, The Ugly One, Perplexed and Martyr, has been translated into over 30 languages and performed both in Germany and abroad. Alongside his activities as playwright, Mayenburg has worked as a translator for plays such as Thomas Ostermeier's Shakespeare productions of Hamlet, Othello, Measure for Measure and Richard III. He is also a prolific theatre director.

Actors Touring Company is recognised as one of the UK's leading producers of international contemporary theatre. It aims are to create fresh insight and challenge perceptions by forging partnerships across the world with writers and performers, placing them at the heart of the creative process. Touring extensively in the UK and overseas, the company reaches far and wide, seeking new ideas, new perspectives and new ways of making theatre. Under the stewardship of artistic director Ramin Gray, recent work has included the multi-award winning The Events by David Greig which premiered at The Traverse Theatre, enjoyed two sell out runs at The Young Vic and more recently has played in the US at New York Theatre Workshop The production, directed by Gray, has also been staged in German and Norwegian at Schauspielhaus, Vienna, Brageteatret in Drammen. Other recent work has included Nassim Soleimanpour's Blind Hamlet, Ivan Viripaev's Illusions and Roland Schimmelpfennig's The Golden Dragon.

Before taking the post at ATC, Ramin Gray was International Associate, then Associate Director at the Royal Court Theatre where he directed many world or British premieres. These included Marius von Mayenburg's The Ugly One and The Stone, Simon Stephens' Motortown, and Mark Ravenhill's Over There. He has also directed at the RSC, Out of Joint, The Gate and in many theatres across Europe. Opera credits include the European premiere of Bliss by Brett Dean and Benjamin Britten's Death in Venice at Hamburg's Staatsoper and Theater an der Wien. Ramin recently directed the premiere of the opera The Importance of Being Earnest by Gerald Barry at The Royal Opera House Linbury Studio and is currently directing the world premiere of The Bright Night by Beat Furrer at Hamburg's Staatsoper.

ATC & THE UNICORN present MARTYR by Marius von Mayenburg, directed by Ramin Gray, at the Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, London SE1 2HZ, running September 15 to October 10 at 7pm. Press night September 17 at 7pm. Tickets: Adults: £12* / £16 / £18 (concessions £3 off); Under 18s: £8* / £10 / £12; £10 school groups of 10+(1 teacher free for every 10 pupils); Preview performances - all tickets £10. *Slightly restricted view

Audio-described performance: Thu 24 Sep, 7pm. Captioned performance: Tue 6 Oct, 7pm. Insight (free post-show discussion): Thu 8 Oct, 7pm. Unicorn Late (free post-show music event in the foyer): Thu 8 Oct, 7pm

**Suitable for 15 years old & over - contains some strong language and nudity. Running time: Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.

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