Arcola Theatre And Forward Arena Present A New Adaptation Of Virginia Woolf's MRS DALLOWAY

Arcola Theatre and Forward Arena today announce Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, a new adaptation by Hal Coase. Directed by Thomas Bailey, co-Artistic Director of Forward Arena, the production opens at Arcola Theatre on 1 October, with previews from 25 September and runs until 20 October.

On a single day in London, 1923, Clarissa Dalloway prepares to throw a party for her high-society friends.

On the same day, in the same city, First World War veteran Septimus Warren Smith seeks help from the ruling class that Clarissa entertains.

Forward Arena present a fast-paced, dynamic staging of Hal Coase's bold new version of Mrs Dalloway renewing the collaboration between the company and Hal Coase following their previous production of Callisto: a queer epic at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Arcola Theatre.

Co-Artistic Director of Forward Arena, Thomas Bailey said today, "We couldn't be happier to be working with Hal Coase again, this time on his brilliant version of Mrs Dalloway - and in a co-production with Arcola Theatre, which is fast becoming the home of contemporary adaptations. Our production will be a faithful adaptation that celebrates Virginia Woolf's genius, finding new ways of telling stories just as Woolf did nearly 100 years ago."

Hal Coase adapts. His playwrighting credits include Callisto: a queer epic which was presented at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Arcola Theatre in a previous collaboration with Forward Arena. His other work has been performed at Camden People's Theatre, Pleasance Theatre, Ashmolean and North Wall Arts Centre.

Co-Artistic Director of Forward Arena Thomas Bailey directs. For the company, his credits include The Games We Played (Theatre503) and Callisto: a queer epic (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Arcola Theatre) and Rehearsing for Planet B (North Wall Arts Centre). He was awarded the Bryan Forbes Directing Bursary in 2017.

Forward Arena make theatre that is culturally and politically awake, without ever forgetting theatre's responsibility to be an impressive and stimulating feast of liveness. The company was formed in 2016 by co-Artistic Directors Emma D'Arcy and Thomas Bailey, and Executive Director Ellie Keel.

Most recently the company presented Callisto: a queer epic by Hal Coase which premièred at Pleasance Dome for the full Edinburgh Festival Fringe run in August 2016, transferring to Arcola Theatre in October 2016 before returning for a full run at the venue the following December. Previous Forward Arena shows include The Games We Played by Michelle Sewell at Theatre503 and Children and Animals by Florence Read at The North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford before a month run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Arcola Theatre is one of London's leading off-West End theatres. Locally engaged and internationally minded, Arcola stages a diverse programme of plays, operas and musicals. World-class productions from major artists appear alongside cutting-edge work from the most exciting emerging companies. Arcola delivers one of London's most extensive community engagement programmes, creating over 11,000 opportunities every year. By providing research and development space to diverse artists, Arcola champions theatre that's more engaging and representative. Its pioneering environmental initiatives are internationally renowned, and aim to make Arcola the world's first carbon-neutral theatre.

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