Simon Stephens' CARMEN DISRUPTION Opens Tonight at the Almeida

The UK Premiere of CARMEN DISRUPTION opens tonight 17 April at the Almeida Theatre. Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Birdland, Three Kingdoms) makes his Almeida debut with this dramatic reimagining of Bizet's Carmen. Michael Longhurst directs his first production at the Almeida following great acclaim in New York and London for Constellations by Nick Payne.

The cast includes Olivier Award winner Noma Dumezweni, John Light, who just appeared opposite Penelope Wilton in Taken At Midnight and Jack Farthing, who has recently appeared in The Riot Club and ITV drama Cilla. Sharon Small, whose TV credits include Downton Abbey and Call the Midwife, will make her Almeida debut alongside internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Viktoria Vizin, who completed her 100th performance of Bizet's Carmen at the Budapest State Opera House in 2012. The cast is completed by Katie West, who recently performed opposite Maxine Peake in Hamlet at the Royal Exchange and appears in Kenneth Branagh's film remake of Cinderella, Jamie Cameron who just finished a run in Once the Musical in the West End, and Harry Napier who recently appeared in Macbeth of Fire and Ice at the Arcola Theatre.

In the opulent grandeur of a European city, a renowned singer abandons the opera house for the truth of the streets. A gorgeous prostitute. A tough-talking taxi driver. A global trader. A teenage dreamer. Everyone's looking for something. Simon Stephens' strange and beautiful new play explores the possibility of love in a fractured urban world.

Carmen Disruption is directed by Michael Longhurst, designed by Lizzie Clachan, with lighting by Jack Knowles, sound by Carolyn Downing, movement by Imogen Knight and new music composed by Simon Slater. Casting is by Anne McNulty and Sarah Playfair, dramaturgy by Pia Furtado, costume supervision by Jemima Penny and the Assistant Director is Jude Christian.

Simon Stephens' most recent work includes a critically acclaimed English language version of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard at the Young Vic, his Olivier Award-winning adaptation of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for the National Theatre which is currently playing in the West End and on Broadway, an adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House for the Young Vic which transferred to the West End, Birdland for the Royal Court, Three Kingdoms for the Lyric Hammersmith and Port which was recently revived at the National Theatre. His new adaptation of Kasimir and Karoline will be part of the inaugural season at HOME, the new multi-arts venue in Manchester. Other plays include Harper Regan, Sea Wall, Punk Rock, Wastwater, Pornography, Motortown, Country Music, Herons, Bluebird and On the Shore of the Wide World.

Michael Longhurst's acclaimed production of Nick Payne's Constellations opened at the Royal Court then transferred to the West End, winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Play in 2012. The production recently opened on Broadway, starring Ruth Wilson and Jake Gyllenhaal, to stellar reviews. Constellations starts a UK tour this spring, with casting to be announced. Michael also directed Jake Gyllenhaal in Nick Payne's If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet on Broadway. His acclaimed production of Bad Jews recently opened at St James Theatre having originally played at Theatre Royal Bath and will transfer to the Arts Theatre in March. His other work includes 'Tis Pity She's A Whore for the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, A Number for Nuffield Theatre, The Art of Dying and Remembrance Day for the Royal Court, Dealer's Choice for The Royal and Derngate, The History Boys for Sheffield Crucible, The World of Extreme Happiness for the National Theatre, dirty butterfly for the Young Vic where he was recipient of the Jerwood Directors Award and Stovepipe for High Tide in collaboration with the National Theatre and the Bush Theatre.

Almeida Questions is an eclectic programme of pre-show discussions which consider some of the questions raised by the work on our stage. In each discussion, invited panellists dig into the key issues and ideas emerging from the show. For Carmen Disruption we ask, "How does technology change the way we think about ourselves?"

Photo by Ruth Crafer

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