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The Orange Tree (OT) have announced four new productions for their Autumn season, featuring the world premières of Here in America by David Edgar and Treasure Island: the True(r) Story by Hannah Khalil. The OT also continues their partnership with the JMK Trust and will stage a modern classic in Autumn 2024 directed by next year’s winner of the JMK Award, and completing the season, Twelfth Night directed by OT Artistic Director Tom Littler and starring Olivier Award winner Oliver Ford Davies.
ABOUT THE ORANGE TREE THEATRE
The Orange Tree (OT) is an award-winning, independent theatre. Recognised as a powerhouse that creates high-quality productions of new plays alongside classics and rediscoveries, it entertains 70,000 people across the UK every year.
The OT’s home in Richmond, South West London, is an intimate theatre with the audience seated all around the stage: watching a performance here is truly a unique experience. We believe in the power of dramatic stories to entertain, thrill and challenge us; plays that enrich our lives by enhancing our understanding of ourselves and each other.
The Greenhouse Festival, which showcases the OT New Artists programme, will also return in summer 2024, continuing the collaboration between the OT and the drama school LAMDA. Headlining the festival will be six productions by graduating LAMDA students, titles to be announced.
Also announced recently is a one-week extension for the 250th anniversary production of Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer directed by Tom Littler with Francesca Ellis. Starring Freddie Fox, Tanya Reynolds and Greta Scacchi, this will now run from 18 November 2023 to 13 January 2024, with Press Night on 22 November.
Hanna Streeter, Executive Director, said today, “The first play I ever saw was Twelfth Night in a Primary Shakespeare project at the Orange Tree Theatre, so I’m over the moon to be producing this magical comedy with the great Oliver Ford Davies. This new season honours our commitments to artists of all generations, from recent graduates to theatrical legends. Operating without an Arts Council grant, we rely on the support of our Members and Patrons, and we’re happy to offer them this period of priority booking.”
Tickets for Autumn 2024 are now on sale to Orange Tree Theatre Members and Patrons, with public booking opening in May 2024.
HERE IN AMERICA
By David Edgar
14 September – 19 October 2024
Press Night: Monday 23 September 2024
A compelling new drama about two titans of stage and screen, Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller, both passionately involved with an actress about to become the world’s most famous movie star. As an anti-communist crusade sweeps Hollywood, Kazan and Miller face stark choices.
David Edgar’s plays include Albert Speer, Playing with Fire (National Theatre), Testing the Echo (Out of Joint), If Only (Chichester Festival Theatre),Trying it On (Birmingham Rep, RSC, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and UK tour), Black Tulips (Kiln Theatre, US tour), Concerning Faith (Bush Theatre, Westminster Abbey). For the RSC, his original plays include Destiny, Maydays, Pentecost (also Young Vic), Written on the Heart (also Duchess Theatre), The Shape of the Table (also National Theatre) and The Prisoner’s Dilemma. His adaptations include Mary Barnes, Julian Barnes’ Arthur and George (Birmingham Rep), The Jail Diary of Albie Sach, Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby, Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (RSC) and English versions of Brecht’s Galileo (Birmingham Rep), Mother Courage and Her Children (Stratford Festival of Canada) and Ibsen’s The Master Builder (Chichester Festival Theatre). His television credits include The Eagle Has Landed, I Know What I Mean, Buying a Landslide, Citizen Locke, and Vote for Them; and for film, Lady Jane.
JMK AWARD WINNER
Modern Classic to be announced
26 October – 16 November
Press Night: Wednesday 30 October 2024
The winner of the UK’s most prestigious theatre directing prize stages a modern classic play. This year’s winner follows in the footsteps of Meetings, The Solid Life of Sugar Water, Statements after an Arrest under the Immorality Act, and Little Baby Jesus.
The JMK Trust was founded in memory of James Menzies-Kitchin, a young director of great promise who died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 28, to give opportunities to theatre directors of similar ability and vision. Each year it gives one prestigious award to enable an outstanding applicant aged 35 or under to create their own production of their choice of text. Its intensive development and selection process has itself given powerful impetus to the best theatre practitioners of the future. Previous winners have become major players in British theatre, including Thea Sharrock, Orla O’Loughlin, Bijan Sheibani, Joe Hill-Gibbins, Natalie Abrahami, Roy Alexander Weise and Polly Findlay.
TWELFTH NIGHT
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Tom Littler
Starring Oliver Ford Davies
23 November 2024 – 25 January 2025
Press Night: Friday 29 November 2024
By day, Malvolio runs the Lady Olivia’s house with puritanical zeal, but after dark, the wine flows freely…
Olivier Award-winning Oliver Ford Davies returns to the OT to play Malvolio in Shakespeare’s heartrending and hilarious masterpiece of mistaken identities and secret desires.
TREASURE ISLAND: THE TRUE(R) STORY
By Hannah Khalil
Pirated from the novel by R.L. Stevenson
Directed by Natasha Rickman
18 – 22 December
When Jim Hawkins and friends stumble on the key to a fortune, they board the good ship Hispaniola and set sail in search of treasure. Hannah Khalil (RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe) joins forces with the OT Young Company and Carne Associate Director Natasha Rickman.
The OT Young Company is an ensemble formed annually for people aged 18 to 25 seeking to develop as theatre-makers and performers. Participants experience rehearsal processes for scripted and devised work, receive masterclasses from leading industry freelancers, learn how professional theatre operates, and form a vibrant part of the OT’s ecosystem of emerging artists.
ORANGE TREE THEATRE LISTINGS
1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 2SA
Box Office: 020 8940 3633 (Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm)
Ticket prices (NO BOOKING FEES)
In person tickets: from £15, prices increase with demand
Under 30s: £15
OT On Screen: From £15
Access: £15
Recipients of Universal Credit / London Ticket Bank Scheme: limited £1 tickets
MEETINGS
14 October 2023– 11 November 2023
Press Night: Wednesday 18 October at 7pm
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 19 Oct)
Captioned Performance: Thu 2 Nov 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Mon 30 Oct 7.30pm
Relaxed & Distanced Performance: Tue 7 Nov 7.30pm
OT On Screen: Tue 14 – Fri 17 Nov
SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER
18 November 2023 – 13 January 2024
Press Night: Wednesday 22 November 2023 at 7pm
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 23 Nov)
Captioned Performance: Tue 12 Dec 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Mon 11 Dec 7.30pm
Relaxed & Distanced Performance: Wed 3 Jan 7.30pm
OT On Screen: Tue 16 – Fri 19 Jan
SHAKESPEARE UP CLOSE: MACBETH and ROMEO AND JULIET
5 – 10 December 2023
Schools tour: 20 – 30 Nov
Schools performances at the OT: 5 – 8 Dec
Public performances at the OT: 9 – 10 Dec
TINY TIM’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
18 December – 6 January 2024
Press Performance: Wednesday 20 December 2023 at 2.30pm
Mon – Sat 11am
Mon, Wed, Fri 2.30pm (no performances Mon 25 Dec, Mon 1 Jan)
Relaxed & Distanced Performance: Wed 3 Jan 2.30pm
NORTHANGER ABBEY
20 January– 24 February 2024
Press Night: Wednesday 24 January 2024 at 7pm
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 25 Jan)
Captioned Performance: Wed 14 Feb 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Tue 13 Feb 7.30pm
Relaxed & Distanced Performance: Tue 20 Feb 7.30pm
OT On Screen: Tue 21 – Fri 24 May 2024
FLUTE THEATRE: TWELFTH NIGHT
29 January – 10 February 2024
Mon – Sat: 10.30am
Further summer programming includes:
UNCLE VANYA
2 March – 13 April
Press Night: Thursday 7 March 2024 at 7pm
TESTMATCH
20 April – 18 May 2024
Press Night: Wednesday 24 April at 7pm
SUITE IN THREE KEYS
24 May – 6 Jul 2024
Press Nights: Wednesday 5 June 2024 at 2.30pm: Double Bill – Shadows of the Evening and Come into the Garden, Maud
Wednesday 5 June 2024 at 7.30pm: A Song at Twilight
Primary Shakespeare: HAMLET
3 June – 5 July 2024 (workshops and performances)
Mon, Tue & Fri
RED SPEEDO
13 Jul – 10 Aug 2024
Press Night: Thursday 18 July at 7pm
AUTUMN 2024 SEASON
HERE IN AMERICA
14 September – 19 October 2024
Press Night: Monday 23 September 2024 at 7pm
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm
JMK AWARD
26 October – 14 November
Press Night: Wednesday 30 October 2024 at 7pm
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm
TWELFTH NIGHT
24 November 2024– 25 January 2025
Press Night: Friday 29 November 2024 at 7pm
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm
TREASURE ISLAND: THE TRUE(R) STORY
18 – 22 December 2024
Website orangetreetheatre.co.uk | Email box.office@orangetreetheatre.co.uk
