Alan Franks' A WORLD ELSEWHERE to Premiere at Theatre503, 21 Jan

Former Times journalist, playwright and author of the recently acclaimed novel The Notes of Doctor Newgate, Alan Franks, will premiere his new play A WORLD ELSEWHERE at Battersea's Theatre503. Set in an Oxford College in 1968, where Alan once studied alongside former US President Bill Clinton, A WORLD ELSEWHERE is a searing examination of the world on the brink of yet another war and the institutional politics of one of England's oldest universities. The production is directed by Sally Knyvette, director of Judgement at Nuremberg at the Tricycle Theatre, and will run from Tuesday 21 January 2014.

Oxford, Autumn 1968. A year on from the summer of love, America is exploding with rage against a long-running war in the Far East. Vietnam is rousing students from their hedonism and the bitter run-up to Richard Nixon's inaugural presidential election looms large. In the University's timeless quads the charismatic international post-graduate Elliott Farmer is leading the protests. This thrillingly intelligent play is a drama of politics on all levels - from international statesmanship, through to the dirty tricks of old rivals, and the rule-free warfare of the bedroom.

Alan Franks' previous plays include The Mother Tongue, starring Prunella Scales (Greenwich Theatre); Previous Convictions (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond), and Augusta (New End Hampstead). His new novel, The Notes of Dr. Newgate, was recently made Guardian Book of the Week. Alan has worked as a feature-writer for The Times for more than thirty years, covering a wide of subjects and interviewing many world figures in the arts, including Arthur Miller, Stephen Sonndheim, Leonard Cohen, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Tom Stoppard and Jonathan Miller. Five albums of his songs have been released, performed by him and the singer Patty Vetta.

Sally Knyvette's directing credits include Judgement at Nuremberg at the Tricycle Theatre, as well as 5 other productions at the venue as part of the Lawyers@Tricycle Company. Sally is also a well known actress best known for her performances as Kate Sugden in ITV's Emmerdale and Jenna in the cult Sci-Fi series Blake's Seven. Theatre credits include The Presidential Suite (Edinburgh Festival) and King Lear (A Jonathan Miller production).