DUNSINANE Begins Tonight at Shakespeare Theatre Company

The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) presents Dunsinane, playwright David Greig's majestic sequel to Shakespeare's Macbeth, presented by the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and directed by Roxana Silbert. First premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Hampstead Theatre in 2010, this tour marks the U.S. premiere of Dunsinane after a highly successful tour to East Asia and Russia in spring 2014. Hailed by The Guardian as "a work of compelling intelligence, provocation and wit," Dunsinane will play at the Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from tonight, February 4-21, 2015.

"I'm delighted that Dunsinane is having its American premiere," says playwright David Greig. "Wherever Dunsinane goes, new audiences seem to bring new context and light the play up in a different way and I can't wait to find out how the story comes over in Washington, D.C."

Dunsinane is the setting for Greig's play, the Scottish garrison town where the English occupying army is ready to commence battle and historically believed to be where Malcolm defeated Macbeth in 1054. Greig has taken Scotland's real history and dramatically mixed it with the setting of Shakespeare's play, one of the most famous landscapes in literature, even though Shakespeare himself never set foot on Scottish soil.

Macbeth is dead. Under cover of night, the English army has swept through the landscape, killed the tyrant and taken the seat of power. Attempting to restore peace and put in place a new ruler, the commanding officer is beset by a brutal guerrilla uprising and simmering discontent amongst his own inexperienced troops. Struggling to grasp the alien customs and politics of this harsh country, he finds himself drawn towards the tyrant's powerful widow in search of someone to share his burden of responsibility. Increasingly isolated from his own men and Scottish allies alike, his efforts to restore order appear futile as the situation spirals out of control.

"One of the most exciting things about my job is the opportunity it affords me to expose audiences in Washington, D.C. to theatre of the highest international caliber. I have been eager to partner again with our friends at the National Theatre of Scotland, the resident geniuses behind the unforgettable Black Watch and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart," says STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn. "David Greig is one of our most imaginative contemporary writers, and the twists he adds to the familiar Shakespearean narrative are exciting, thought-provoking and frequently suggestive with our contemporary political world."

Siobhan Redmond will reprise her role as Gruach, (Lady Macbeth) and she will be joined by leading British stage and screen actor, Darrell D'Silva, in the role of Siward. Other cast members include George Brockbanks, Helen Darbyshire, Ewan Donald, Keith Fleming, Tom Gill, Toyin Omari-Kinch, Arthur McBain, Matt McClure, Alex Mann and Mairi Morrison.

The creative team are David Greig (Writer), Roxana Silbert (Director), Robert Innes Hopkins (Designer), Chahine Yavroyan (Lighting Designer), Nick Powell (Composer and Sound Designer), Luke Kernaghan (Associate Director), Anna Morrissey (Movement Director), Polly Bennett (Associate Movement Director), Terry King (Fight Director), Stephen Kemble (Voice Coach), Ruth Cooper-Brown (Archery Consultant), Rosalind Acton (Musical Director and Cello), Robert Owen (Percussion) and Andy Taylor (Guitarist).

The production begins its tour at the Carolina Performing Arts, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and continues on after STC to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago and the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, Los Angeles.

Opening Night for Dunsinane is Tuesday, February 3. The production runs from Wednesday, February 4 through Sunday, February 21. To purchase tickets or to learn more, patrons can call the box office at 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.

About the Playwright - David Greig is a playwright, screenwriter and director. His work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes Glasgow Girls, The Great Yes, No, Don't Know Five Minute Theatre Show, One Day in Spring, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, Peter Pan, The Bacchae, Futurology: A Global Review and Gobbo. David's production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (directed by British stage and film director, Sam Mendes) is currently running in London's West End. His production of The Events (Winner of the Carol Tambor Award and Voted Best Theatre of 2013 by The Guardian critics) is soon to open at New York Theatre Workshop (February 12-March 22). Other theatre work includes Victoria, The Monster In The Hall, Midsummer, Yellow Moon, Letter of Last Resort, Miniskirts of Kabul, Kyoto, Being Norwegian, Damascus, Pyrenees, San Diego, The American Pilot, Outlying Islands and The Cosmonaut's Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union. Workwith Suspect Culture includes 8000m, Lament, Timeless, Mainstream andAirport. Since his first main stage production 'Europe,' at The Traverse in 1996, his work has been produced extensively abroad. His plays have been translated and produced in most of the countries of Europe, the USA and Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan and Korea.

About the Director - Roxana Silbert is Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre for whom she has directed Moliere's Tartuffe, the world premiere of KHANDAN (Family) (with the Royal Court) and most recently Of Mice and Men. Previously, she was Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (2009-2013), where her work included A Soldier in Every Son, Galileo, Measure for Measure, Richard III, Shakespeare Shorts, Such Tweet Sorrow (the world's first Twitter play), Little Eagles, Dunsinane and Brixton Stories. Roxana was also Artistic Director of Paines Plough (2005-2009) and her work included Orphans, Roaring Trade, Being Norwegian, Between Wolf and Dog, Long Time Dead, Strawberries in January, After the End and Dallas Sweetman. She was Literary Associate of the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh (2001-2004), her work included The Slab Boys, Still Life, The People Next Door, Iron, 15 Seconds and Greenfields)and Associate Director at The Royal Court, London (her work included At the Table, Still Nothing, I Was So Lucky, Been So Long, Fairgame, Bazaar, Sweetheart, Essex Girls and Mules).

About the DUNSINANE Lead Cast & Creative Team:

Darrell D'Silva - Siward. Darrell's previous work with the National Theatre of Scotland includes the 2014 tour of Dunsinane (with the Royal Shakespeare Company). His theatre work with the Royal Shakespeare Company includes Anthony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, King Lear, A Winter's Tale, Camino Real, The Spanish Tragedy, Troilus and Cressida, A Month In The Country, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Henry VIII, Dr Faustus, The Drunks, Little Eagles, Hecuba. He is also an Associate Artist at The Royal Shakespeare Company. His film work includes The Throwaways, Northmen: A Viking Saga, Montana, Closer To The Moon, Dirty Pretty Things, Jimmy's End, His Heavy Heart and Song.

Siobhan Redmond- Gruach. Siobhan's work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes the 2011/2013/2014 tours of Dunsinane (with the Royal Shakespeare Company), The House Of Bernarda Alba and Mary Stuart. She is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company and her work there includes Richard III, King John, Twelfth Night, The Comedy Of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing and The Spanish Tragedy. Television work includes Code Of A Killer, Case Histories, Bob Servant, The Town, The Smoking Room, The Catherine Tate Show, The High Life, Sorry About Last Night, In The Red and Between The Lines. Film work includes Alice through the Looking Glass, Beautiful People, Captives, Duet For One and Latin For A Dark Room.

Ewan Donald - Malcolm. Ewan's previous work with the National Theatre of Scotland includes the 2014 tour of Dunsinane (with the Royal Shakespeare Company).

Keith Fleming - Macduff. Keith's previous work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes the 2014 tour of Dunsinane (with the Royal Shakespeare Company), Black Watch, Beautiful Burnout (with Frantic Assembly), The Miracle Man, The Making of Us and Peer Gynt (with Dundee Rep). Recent work includes The Union (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh), Miss Julie (Citizens, Glasgow) and Macbeth (Perth Theatre). Other theatre work includes The Dark Things, Pandas (Traverse, Edinburgh), Squash, Call of the Wild, An Incident at the Border (Òran Mór), Barflies (Grid Iron), David Leddy's Untitled Love Story and Doubt, and Days of Wine and Roses (Theatre Jezebel).

Alex Mann - Egham. Alex's previous work for the National Theatre of Scotland includes the 2011 and 2013 tours of Dunsinane (with Royal Shakespeare Company) and for the Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare in a Suitcase. Other theatre work includes Strangers on a Train (English Theatre Frankfurt), The Miser (Watermill, Newbury), Chavs (Lyric, Hammersmith), Sunday is the New Saturday (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), The Art of Success, New England, The Permanent Way and The Cherry Orchard (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)).

About the Shakespeare Theatre Company - Recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) has become one of the nation's leading theatre companies. Today, STC is synonymous with artistic excellence and making classical theatre more accessible.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Kahn and Managing Director Chris Jennings, STC's innovative approach to Shakespeare and other classic playwrights has earned it the reputation as the nation's premier classical theatre company. By focusing on works with profound themes, complex characters and poetic language written by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and the playwrights he influenced, the Company's artistic mission is unique among theatre companies: to present theatre of scope and size in an imaginative, skillful and accessible American style that honors the playwrights' language and intentions while viewing their work through a 21st-century lens.

A leader in arts education, STC has a stable of initiatives that teach and excite learners of all ages, from school programs and acting classes to discussion series as well as accessible programs like the annual Free For All, one of STC's most beloved annual traditions, allowing audiences to experience Shakespeare at no charge.

Located in our nation's capital, STC performs in two theatres, the Lansburgh Theatre and Sidney Harman Hall in downtown Washington, D.C., creating a dynamic, cultural hub of activity that showcases STC as well as outstanding local performing arts groups and nationally renowned organizations. STC moved into the 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre in March 1992, after six years in residency in the Folger Library's Elizabethan theatre. At that time the Penn Quarter neighborhood was not considered desirable by many; since then, STC has helped drive its revitalization. The 774-seat Sidney Harman Hall opened in October 2007.

About the National Theatre of Scotland - The National Theatre of Scotland is dedicated to playing the great stages, arts centres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations of Scotland, the UK and internationally. As well creating ground-breaking productions and working with the most talented theatre-makers, the National Theatre of Scotland produces significant community engagement projects, innovates digitally and works constantly to develop new talent. Central to this is finding pioneering ways to reach current and new audiences and to encourage people's full participation in the Company's work. With no performance building of its own, the Company works with existing and new venues and companies to create and tour theatre of the highest quality. Founded in 2006, the Company, in its short life, has become a globally significant theatrical player, with an extensive repertoire of award-winning work. The National Theatre of Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

About the Royal Shakespeare Company - The Royal Shakespeare Company is the world's most famous theatre company. We create theatre at its best, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world. Everyone at the RSC - from actors to technicians, milliners to musicians - plays a part in creating the world you see on stage. All our productions begin life at our Stratford workshops and theatres and we bring them to the widest possible audience through our touring, residencies, live broadcasts and online activity. So wherever you experience the RSC, you experience work made in Shakespeare's home town. We encourage everyone to enjoy a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare and live theatre. We produce an inspirational artistic programme each year, setting Shakespeare in context, alongside the work of his contemporaries and today's writers. We have trained generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future. We reach 450,000 children and young people annually through our education work across the UK, transforming their experiences in the classroom, in performance and online.

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