HOW THE WORLD BEGAN Plays Arcola Theater

Tom Atkins, supported by Out of Joint and the Arcola Theatre, presents the European Premiere- HOW THE WORLD BEGAN by Catherine Trieschmann

• Out of Joint's Directing Award winner Des Kennedy directs European Premiere at Arcola Theatre 15 November - 10 December (press night 18 November)
• Cast announced: Anna Francolini, Ciaran McIntyre and Perry Millward

Out of Joint and the Arcola Theatre are collaborating on How The World Began, Catherine Trieschmann's play set in a school in rural Kansas, in which a science teacher clashes with a devout and disturbed pupil.

The play, which is also being produced separately in the USA by South Coast Rep and the Women's Project, New York, follows Susan, a science teacher who relocates from Manhattan to a small Texan town that has been devastated by a tornado.

When she makes an off-the-cuff remark that reveals her views on creationism, one of her students - the damaged and articulate Micah - takes offence and Susan is thrown into an ethical storm, and feeling deeply threatened miles from home in a town that feels suddenly less welcoming.

The cast includes Anna Francolini, reunited with Perry Millward after they starred together in Caroline, or Change at The National Theatre. In 2009 Francolini won the TMA Award for Best Performance in a Play for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton. Other stage appearances include Company and Merrily We Roll Along (Donmar), Into The Woods (Royal Opera House) and as Maria Callas in Onassis (Novello, West End).

Ciaran McIntyre was in Out of Joint's Dreams of Violence, with other recent theatre including The Absence of Women and The Quare Fellow at the Tricycle, Deep Cut (Traverse, Tricycle and tour), The Comedy of Errors (RSC) and Richard II (Old Vic).

Perry Millward played a leading role in Caroline, or Change and has also appeared in the West End productions Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Les Miserables. He played Christopher Isherwood's brother Richard in the recent TV drama Christopher and his Kind.

This production is a result of Out of Joint's Directing Award, a bursary and placement within the company for an upcoming director working in new writing. Belfast-born Des Kennedy was selected from over 180 applicants. His production of Scenes from the Big Picture at the Callan Theatre, Washington D.C, was named one of the best 10 productions of the decade by the Washington Post. He received the Bush Theatre Directing Award for The Laramie Project at the National Student Drama Festival. He has directed in New York, Dublin and Belfast, and has assisted Dominic Cooke at the Royal Court and, as Associate Director at Out of Joint, Max Stafford-Clark.

How The World Began is designed by Alyson Cummins lighting by Mark Howland, sound by Paul Millen and video design by Ben Gutteridge. It is produced by Tom Atkins, and supported by Out of Joint and the Arcola Theatre. Atkins met Des Kennedy when they participated in the TS Eliot US/UK Exchange 2010, between the Old Vic and The Public Theater in New York.

Tuesday 15 November - Saturday 10 December 2011
Performances at 8.00pm (excluding Sundays), Saturday matinees at 3.00pm
Tickets: £15.00 (£11.00 concessions)

Buy online at www.arcolatheatre.com or phone 020 7503 1646
Or book in person at the Arcola Theatre Box Office

Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL

Nearest Station: Dalston Kingsland or Dalston Junction.

Nearest Bus: 149 from London Bridge or Edmonton Green
242 from Tottenham Court Road via Liverpool Street or Hackney Central
76 or 243 from Old Street or Wood Green
38 or 56 from Angel or Clapton Pond Roundabout/Lea Bridge Road
30 or 277 from Highbury and Islington

Nearest Parking: Bentley Road Carpark, Bentley Road, London N1 4BY
Very limited free parking after 7pm Mon-Sat. Free on Sundays.

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