SCORCHED To Be Presented In The Old Vic Tunnels

The UK premiere of SCORCHED by Wajdi MouawadA Dialogue & Old Vic Co-Production Presented in The Old Vic Tunnels, Station Approach, London SE1

Previews from Friday 3 September Press Night: Monday 6 September at 7pm The UK Premiere of the international hit play Scorched, by award-winning playwright Wajdi Mouawad, will open at The Old Vic Tunnels on 6 September 2010.

Following the death of their mother, twins Simon (Richard Simons) and Janine (Sirine Saba) are called to thefamily solicitor, Henry Bell (Patrick Driver) for the reading of her will. They are shocked to find that theirfather is still alive, that they have a brother they knew nothing of, and that their legacy is to deliver lettersto them both.

This takes them on an emotional journey into the past, back to their mother's previous lifeand her Middle Eastern homeland - a country caught up in civil war.

Wajdi Mouawad is currently the Artistic Director of French theatre at Canada's National Theatre and isthe author of over fifteen plays including Littoral, (Tideline), Forêts (Forests), Ciels (Skies) and Wedding Dayat The Cro-Magnons. Mouawad also co-wrote the screenplay and directed the film version of Littoral, afterwinning the ‘Govenor General's Literary Award' for the play. Numerous other awards include the ‘Grand Prixde la Francophonie' and the ‘Grand Prix du Theatre'. Mouawad was the associate artist at the 2009 AvignonFestival and his work is currently the most performed in the category of contemporary French writing. Hisplays have been translated into more than fifteen languages and performed internationally.

Mouawad was born in Lebanon in 1968 and fled the country with his family when civil war broke out.(Before he left he witnessed an attack on a bus which he recreates in Scorched). His family lived in Paris fora few years before settling in Montreal, Canada.

Patricia Benecke is joint artistic director of Dialogue Productions for which directing work includesWedding Day at The Cro-Magnons (Soho Theatre), The Furies/Helter Skelter/Land of the Dead (The Bush& UK tour), Monsieur Ibrahim and The Flowers of the Qu'ran (The Bush & UK tour). In Germany, herdirecting work includes Nathan the Wise, Realism, The Miser, By the Bog of Cats, Shining City, Woman andScarecrow, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Upcoming productions are The Wonderful World of Dissocia andAugust: Osage County.Dialogue Productions is a London based company dedicated to bringing international productions tothe UK and founded by German director Patricia Benecke and British actor/producer Patrick Driver.

Recentproductions include The Furies/Land of the Dead/Helter Skelter by Neil LaBute (The Bush, UK Tour), Monsieur Ibrahim and The Flowers of The Qur'an (The Bush, UK Tour) and Wedding Day at The Cro-Magnons (Soho Theatre)."A distinctive new company building a reputation for the best international premieres". Josie Rourke, The Bush Theatre

Full Cast: Patrick Driver (The Furies/Helter Skelter, The Bush Theatre & UK Tour; Faith Healer, SalisburyPlayhouse), Stephen Finegold (Tintin, Young Vic/ UK Tour and West End), Jennifer Kidd (The Only Girl in the World, The Arcola; Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare's Globe), Caroline Loncq (Love's LaboursLost, Comedy of Errors, RSC), Christopher Patrick Nolan (The Seagull, Royal Court & Broadway;Macbeth, Chichester/West End/BAM/Broadway), Miranda Pleasence (Crossing Jerusalem; Tricycle;Burning Issues, Hampstead Theatre), Sirine Saba (Nation, Sparkleshark, RNT; Testing The Echo, Out ofJoint), Richard Simons (In The Heart of America, West End; Ramayana, Lyric Hammersmith & UK Tour),and Jennie Stoller (Seven Jewish Children, Royal Court Theatre; Three Sisters on Hope Street, HampsteadTheatre).

Director: Patricia Benecke

Designer: Naomi Dawson

Lighting: Chahine Yavroyan

Composer: Nikola Kodjabashia

Translator: Simon Scardifield

Scorched is generously funded by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations and Badf Jafar. The foundationsare committed to innovation, social impact and education and have shown sustained support for the work ofDialogue Productions.

The production is also supported by Meridian/Interact, The Brook Trust and Awardsfor All.

About The Old Vic Tunnels:

In February 2010, The Old Vic acquired this new performance space beneath Waterloo Station from BRB(Residuary) formerly British Rail. This unique venue showcases productions, performances and installationsand will continue to be home to a series of innovative and surprising arts events.

This year The Old Vic Tunnels opened with The Lambeth Palace, an underground cinema built to screen the UK premier ofBanksy's film E'xit through the Gift Shop, followed by the first major theatre production in the space -Ditch, by Beth Steel, a collaboration with High Tide. This was followed closely by Aftermath, as part of theLIFT Festival. Over the next two months, a number of events will take place. SlapDash, a three day festivalof Improvisation, Alan Moore, the graphic comic genus behind V for Vendetta, League of ExtraordinaryGentleman, and The Watchmen will be reading his new short story 'Unearthing' to images supposed by a liveband. The first music concert in the venue will feature Villagers' who have just received a Mercurynomination for their album Doubt.

The government backed scheme ' V inspired' awarded a match-fundgrant to The Old Vic Tunnels which allows the site to operate a generous volunteer opportunity network of production internships, front of house volunteers and site management trainees.

For further information about The Old Vic and The Old Vic Tunnels please visit www.oldvictheatre.com

For further information on Dialogue Productions please visit www.dialogueproductions.co.uk

Box Office InformationPerformances will be presented at The Old Vic Tunnels, Station Approach, London, SE1Friday 3rd September - Saturday 2nd October

Monday to Saturday at 7.45pmThursday and Saturday Matinee at 2.30pm

Press Performance:Monday 6th September at 7pm

TICKETS £25, £20

Concessions for Scorched

The Aditya Mittal tickets Under 25s

Tickets£12 tickets at all performances.

Bookable in advance for the under 25s but tickets must be collectedin person from the Box Office with proof of age.

Senior Citizens & Groups of 10+: £5 off £20/£25 tickets for all performances

Disabled Patrons: £15 for all performances

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