Orange Tree Theatre Announces New Season; Features Fugard and Rattigan

Today Artistic Director Paul Miller and Executive Director Sarah Nicholson announce the second half of their fifth Orange Tree Season featuring the world premieres of plays by Zoe Cooper and Rose Lewenstein, and major revivals of Athol Fugard and Terence Rattigan.

Since they took over in 2014, the Orange Tree has won 25 industry awards, including three times winning London's Most Welcoming Theatre at the UK Theatre Awards. The Theatre's work has toured to 33 towns and cities plus two transfers to the National Theatre with Pomona and An Octoroon. Last season the OT achieved a record audience in Richmond and across the UK of nearly 90,000 people plus 10,000 taking part in the OT's Education & Participation Programme.

Cougar (Press Night: 5 February) is a new play about what - and who - we consume by Rose Lewenstein. Chelsea Walker directs, following her acclaimed production of Low Level Panic at the OT. This is the second co-production this season with English Touring Theatre following the critically acclaimed Dealing with Clair by Martin Crimp, which is currently playing until 1 December.

A major revival of Athol Fugard's 1961 play Blood Knot (Press Night: 12 March) set in apartheid South Africa will be directed by Matthew Xia who won the 2013 Genesis Future Director Award for his production of Fugard's Sizwe Banzi is Dead at the Young Vic.

Following her hit play Jess and Joe Forever, Zoe Cooper returns to the OT with her new play Out of Water (Press Night: 1 May), directed by Guy Jones (Joe White'sMayfly). This is a joint commission between the OT and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Paul Miller directs the first major London production in a generation of Terence Rattigan's Blitz-set comedy While the Sun Shines (Press Night: 10 June). It follows his acclaimed production of Rattigan's French Without Tears, which played two sold out runs at the OT before touring across the country.

There will be over 4,000 £12.50 under 30s tickets available for all performances as well as other concessions continuing the OT's commitment to make theatre affordable and accessible at any time.

Our prolific Education & Participation Programme, which has been a vital part of our community for over 30 years, presents Imogen Bond's production of The Tempest for over 4,000 primary school children and Nathan Powell directs Macbeth for secondary school students.

OT Extras - a popular series of performances of the best music, comedy and spoken word includes Paterson Joseph appearing in his solo show Sancho: An Act of Remembrance, co-directed by Simon Godwin, following an international tour; the return to the OT of Kieran Hodgson with his Edinburgh Festival hit '75 about how Britain first joined the EU and one of Britain's best loved poets Wendy Cope. The Allegri Quartet also return with a new series of classical Sunday morning concerts.

Paul Miller, Artistic Director, says: "I'm excited that we are finishing our 2018/19 Season with plays by three writers whose distinctive voices I adore: Athol Fugard, Zoe Cooper and Terence Rattigan. It's a delight to welcome Matthew Xia to make his Orange Tree Theatre debut with Fugard's neglected masterpiece,Blood Knot. Jess and Joe Forever was one of our most popular shows and it's great to have Zoe back with a brilliantly original new play, Out of Water, alongside the welcome return of Terence Rattigan after our sell-out success with French Without Tears. New plays, rediscoveries and the best contemporary revivals: a classic OT mixtape."

OT Patrons and Members get priority booking from Friday 23 November

Booking opens Friday 7 December at 10.00am

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