Theatre Royal Plymouth to Present AFTER ELECTRA

It's Virgie's birthday, and at 84, she is bucking conventions with a very surprising trick up her sleeve. But always a more committed artist than mother, Virgie has not reckoned on her family and friends' determination to thwart her distinctly unusual birthday plans.

Will her loved ones consent to her last wish, or could the secrets of their past stand in the way of her true happiness? Their decision turns out to be very wrong indeed.

April De Angelis' After Electra is a deeply moving and blisteringly witty black comedy challenging what it means to be a mother, and exploring how the choices we make can change our lives forever.

Produced by Theatre Royal Plymouth After Electra will open in The Drum from 12 March - 28 March before transferring to the Tricycle Theatre from 7 April - 2 May. After Electra will be directed by Samuel West.

April De Angelis' work includes Jumpy (Royal Court and Duke of York's), Catch and Wild East (Royal Court), A Gloriously Mucky Business (Lyric Hammersmith), Calais (Paines Plough/Oran Mor), Country (Terror Season, Southwark Playhouse), an adaptation of Wuthering Heights (Birmingham Rep Theatre), A Laughing Matter (Out of Joint Theatre Company, National Theatre), The Warwickshire Testimony (RSC, The Other Place), The Positive Hour (Out of Joint Theatre/National Tour) and Playhouse Creatures (Sphinx Theatre Company, later revived by The Old Vic Theatre).

Samuel West directs. His recent directorial work includes Close The Coalhouse Door (Northern Stage), Waste (Almeida) and Dealer's Choice (Menier Chocolate Factory/Trafalgar Studios). As Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres he directed the first revival of The Romans In Britain by Howard Brenton and As You Like It for the RSC's Complete Works Festival. He also directed Money by Edward Bulwer-Lytton for BBC Radio. As an actor, work includes the title roles in Hamlet and Richard II for the RSC, Jeffrey Skilling in Lucy Prebble's Enron (Chichester/Royal Court/Noel Coward theatres), three series of Mr Selfridge, the film Howards End and the forthcoming Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and Suffragette.

Theatre Royal Plymouth has built a national reputation for its specialist contemporary work producing provocative, intriguing, ambitious theatre by commissioning and working with some of the very best regional, national and international writers, artists and directors. In addition, TRP has been a long term collaborator and supporter of some of the most exciting theatre companies of our times including Frantic Assembly, Ontroerend Goed, Paines Plough and Told By An Idiot.

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