Torben Betts' INVINCIBLE to Open 15 July at St. James Theatre

St. James Theatre Productions presents the Orange Tree Theatre's highly acclaimed Invincible by Torben Betts, directed by Ellie Jones. The production will run from Thursday 10 July to Saturday 09 August 2014, with press night on Tuesday 15 July at 7pm.

Invincible will be restaged for its run at the St. James Theatre, having been presented in-the-round at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, where it received its world premiere in March this year. The Orange Tree Theatre production of Invincible played to full houses and received wide critical acclaim.

To reach a broader audience, particularly young people and those who cannot normally afford to attend London theatre, St. James Theatre Productions are pleased to announce that 300 £10 seats will be available across the run. Whilst a number of these £10 seats will be available to buy in advance, some will be available at the box office at 10am on the day of the performance.

The cast comprises Daniel Copeland in the role of Alan, with Laura Howard as Emily, Samantha Seager as Dawn and Darren Strange as Oliver. The production is designed by Sam Dowson with lighting by John Harris.

The recession is biting hard and so Emily and Oliver have decided to downsize and shift their middle-class London lifestyle to a small town in the north of England. They want to live, work and to raise their two young children in a friendly community, among what Emily terms 'real people', away from the cold anonymity of the city.

So these left leaning, well educated people have invited over two of their neighbours in an attempt to break the ice. Tonight Alan and Dawn are to be offered olives, anchovies and are to be introduced to Karl Marx and abstract art. As classes and outlooks collide, the scene is set for a meeting which will have consequences as hilarious as they are tragic.

Torben Betts's writing credits include A Listening Heaven (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and Edinburgh Royal Lyceum, nominated as TMA Best New Play); The Unconquered (Traverse/Tron/Arcola/Brits-off-Broadway/UK tour, winner of Best New Play at the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland, 2007) and Muswell Hill and The Company Man (both Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, both nominated as Best New Play at the Off West End Theatre Awards, 2010 and 2012). Torben has written the screenplay for the British independent feature film Downhill, which is set to be released in May 2014.

Ellie Jones was previously Artistic Director of Southwark Playhouse, Associate Director at Sheffield and a trainee director at the Orange Tree Theatre, where she directed Once We Were Mothers, Strange Orchestra and A Man of Letters. Other work includes Macbeth (RSC) and promenade performances of The New World Order (Brighton Festival and Barbican) and The Erpingham Camp (Brighton Festival).

Daniel Copeland's recent theatre work includes the world premiere of Invincible (Orange Tree Theatre); The Jungle Book (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Moon River (Tender Trap); The B.F.G (Derby Theatre); The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Taunton Brewhouse); and The Odyssey, The Dong With a Luminous Nose, Spangleguts, Metamorphoses, Myths, Rituals and White Goods, 'Crock of Gold' (The London Bubble).

Laura Howard is perhaps most well-known for playing Cully Barnaby in ITV1's Midsomer Murders. On-stage her credits include the world premiere of Invincible (Orange Tree Theatre); Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests (Liverpool Playhouse); The Life of Riley and Communicating Doors (Stephen Joseph Theatre); Lost in Yonkers (Watford Palace); Look Back in Anger (Northern Stage); The Hotel in Amsterdam (Donmar) and Arcadia (Chichester).

Samantha Seager played Jodie Morton in Coronation Street. Her theatre credits include the world premiere of Invincible at the Orange Tree Theatre, Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace, West End), Company (Sheffield Crucible), Parade (Southwark Playhouse), and Kes (Derby Theatre).

Darren Strange recently played Nick in Sky 1's new comedy Parents. His theatre work includes the world premiere of Invincible at the Orange Tree Theatre and seasons with the RSC.

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