Out of Joint to Stage Readings Series to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD at St. James Theatre, Feb 2013

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Timberlake Wertenbaker's Olivier Award-winning play, Our Country's Good, Out of Joint will present a series of staged readings of Timberlake's work. This will include the acclaimed play Three Birds Alighting on a Field, which will be directed by Max Stafford-Clark, and The Grace of Mary Traverse directed by Blanche McIntyre. Out of Joint will also present the world premiere of Timberlake's new play - Jefferson's Garden.

In addition, both Max Stafford-Clark and Timberlake Wertenbaker will hold a free platform discussion about Our Country's Good and Max will direct a staged reading of George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer (the play staged by the convicts in Our Country's Good).

Our Country's Good premiered at The Royal Court in 1988 under its then Artistic Director Max Stafford-Clark. Inspired by true events depicted in Thomas Keneally's bestselling novel The Playmaker, Our Country's Good received great critical acclaim, transferring to the West End and Broadway and winning the Olivier Award for Play of the Year and the New York Drama Circle Award for Best Foreign Play.

The readings will take place at the St. James Theatre, London, SW1E 5JA, from 4pm - 6.30pM. Price: £5. Box Office: 0844 264 2140.

Wednesday 13 February:
Three Birds Alighting on a Field by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by Max Stafford-Clark
The much-praised satire on the art world in the boom-time 1980s.

Wednesday 20 February:
The Grace of Mary Traverse by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by Blanche McIntyre
A vividly imaginative story about the pretty, carefully-schooled daughter of a wealthy London merchant who becomes tired of her pampered life and goes in search of experience and emancipation on the streets of 18th Century London, with both comic and perilous results.

Wednesday 27 February:
The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar
Directed by Max Stafford-Clark
Staged by the convicts in Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good, George Farquhar's 1706 comic masterpiece is an unashamed celebration of love, lustiness and the victories of battle and the bedroom. From military manoeuvring to sexual strategies, Farquhar's triumphant The Recruiting Officer, written in 1706, is an unashamed celebration of love, lustiness and victory in battle and in the bedroom.

Wednesday 6 March: WORLD PREMIERE
Jefferson's Garden by Timberlake Wertenbaker
As revolutionary fever grips the American Colonies, a young man leaves his family in search of freedom. As he moves from bloody battlefields to the elegant plantations of Virginia, and becomes increasingly entangled with the charismatic and elusive Thomas Jefferson, Christian discovers the contradictions at the heart of America's foundation as well as in his own heart.

PLATFORM DISCUSSION (FREE EVENT)
Venue: St. James Theatre, London, SW1E 5JA
Monday 11 February: Time: 6.15 - 7.15pm
With Max Stafford-Clark and Timberlake Wertenbaker

PRODUCTION: OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD
Karl Sydow presents the Out of Joint and Octagon Theatre Bolton production
Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
30 January - 30 March 2013

Venue: St. James Theatre, London, SW1E 5JA
Times: 7.30pm (Monday to Saturday) 2.30pm (Thursday and Saturday)
Running Time: approximately 2hours 30minutes with one interval.
Prices:
Previews (30 January to 2 February, not Saturday evening) Premium £40, Standard £25 and £35
Regular (4 February to 9 March, Including Saturday 2 February Evening) Premium £50, Standard £35 and £42.50
Groups (8+). Schools and Access Bookings: available from Box Office
Box Office: 0844 264 2140
Website: www.stjamestheatre.co.uk

Director: Max Stafford-Clark
Designer: Tim Shortall
Lighting: Johanna Town
Sound: Andy Smith
Casting: Sam Stevenson and Gemma Hancock

Cast: Damola Adelaja; Helen Bradbury; Laura Dos Santos; John Hollingworth; Lisa Kerr; Matthew Needham; Ciarán Owens; Kathryn O'Reilly; Ian Redford; Dominic Thorburn.

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