THE CURING ROOM Transfers to the Pleasance Islington Tonight

The Curing Room, David Ian Lee's powerful and provocative play, which caused a huge stir at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with brave and critically acclaimed performances from seven actors stripped bare on stage, will transfer to London this autumn with a three week run at the Pleasance Islington from tonight 21 October - 9 November, with a press night on 22 October.

Spring 1944 - seven Soviet soldiers have been captured by the Nazis, stripped naked and abandoned in the locked empty cellar of a monastery in southern Poland. Deprived of all resources and ties to the world they knew, the prisoners must redefine their concepts of order and human nature and confront the ultimate taboos - murder and cannibalism - in order to survive...

The Curing Room - a thriller that shines a light on dark side of human behavior that is as old as humanity itself - was inspired by an allegedly true anecdote recalled in George Steiner's seminal work The Death of Tragedy. However, what precisely befell these seven men "in the last year of the war" will forever remain conjecture - as will the identities of the men themselves.

Written and developed in New York with a series of workshops and public readings, this world première marked its inaugural production in Edinburgh with the following cast, who will all transfer to London: Will Bowden, Rupert Elmes, Tom Holloway, Matt Houston, John Hoye, Harvey Robinson and Marlon Solomon.

Presented by Stripped Down Productions, The Curing Room is directed by Joao de Sousa, designed by Phil Lindley with sound design by Angus McRae, lighting design by David Howe and fight direction from Bret Yount.

The Curing Room contains full frontal male nudity and themes which may be distressing to certain audience members - over 16s only.

Joao de Sousa - Director : Joao has directed in New York , Chicago and London. Last Year Joao produced the critically acclaimed theatre production of The Sea Plays (three one-act plays by Eugene O'Neill) at London's Old Vic Tunnels. Before that he worked as assistant director to noted theatre director, Michael Rudman, responsible for casting and directing understudies for productions at the Hampstead Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath (& UK tour), Long Wharf Theatre (USA) and London's West End. Joao recently worked for the BBC as an assistant director on their upcoming TV production of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. His other TV work includes first assistant director on the BBC film Coolbox directed by David Farr. He directed the short film Listen to Your Eyes and has worked as assistant to the director on the following films: The Golden Compass and And When Did You Last See Your Father.

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