Director Jimmy Walters returns to the Finborough Theatre with the first production of Tony Harrison’s The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus to be seen in London for nearly 30 years.

Running at the Finborough Theatre from the 3rd to the 28th January 2017,  The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus is Tony Harrison’s take on the Ancient Greek original story and transforms it for a modern audience.

Egypt, 1907. Two archaeologists, Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt, are searching for ancient fragments of poetry and plays, next to an old rubbish heap.

Until the Greek God, Apollo, descends from the skies…

Apollo is furious that they have failed to unearth the fragmentary text of a lost Satyr play by Sophocles. As he forces the two papyrologists to find the lost play, Grenfell and Hunt become part of the story they have discovered.

The production sees director Jimmy Walters return to the Finborough Theatre following his acclaimed production of John Osborne’s A Subject of Scandal and Concern.

Meanwhile the cast will include: Tom Purbeck who will take on the role of Bernard Grenfell, Richard Glaves as Arthur Hunt, Peta Cornish as Kyllene and Dylan Mason as Hermes. The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus also welcomes their very own cast of satyrs including: Adam Small, Dannie Pie, James Rigby, Nik Drake, Sacha Mandel.

Although The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus was originally supposed to be a one-off performance in 1988 in the ancient stadium of Delphi with a cast including Jack Shepherd, Barrie Rutter and Juliet Stevenson, it was later seen at the National Theatre in 1990.

Playwright Tony Harrison has written extensively for the National Theatre, New York Metropolitan Opera, BBC, Channel 4, Royal Shakespeare Company, and for ancient spaces in Greece, Austria and Japan.

The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus will play at the Finborough Theatre from the 3rd until the 28th January 2017. For more information and to book tickets visit: http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productions/2016/the-trackers-of-oxyrhynchus.php