The Richmond based theatre is set to welcome back audiences with The Recovery Season.
The Orange Tree Theatre’s Artistic Director Paul Miller and Executive Director Hanna Streeter have announced that the theatre will be reopening on the 22nd May with The Recovery Season, marking the first return of audiences to the Orange Tree in over 14 months.
This newly announced season will open with Bernard Shaw’s How He Lied to Her Husband and Overruled directed by Paul Miller, followed by the London première of Bryony Lavery’s Last Easter directed by Tinuke Craig. In a co-production with Actors Touring Company, Matthew Xia directs the UK première of Michele Lee’s Rice, and Miller revives his sold out 2019 production of Terence Rattigan’s While the Sun Shines.
Meanwhile, continuing on with their partnership with the JMK Award, the theatre will present the 2021 JMK Award-winning production. The play and the director will be announced at a later date.
Talking about the news, Paul Miller said: “It’s been a long time, but with live-streamed new plays this week, and nine months of work to announce, the OT is back. New work, education shows, a British première, entertaining rediscoveries, a London première, and emerging talent championed: this is a classic OT mix to be proud of. We can’t wait to start employing artists and welcoming audiences: the magic begins when everyone works together.”
Elsewhere, the theatre has also announced the return of its Writer’s Collective with writers Jade Anouka, Nimmo Ismail, Gemma Lawrence, and Tamsin Daisy Rees, and dramaturg Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong. Led by Orange Tree Literary Associate Guy Jones, the collective is an opportunity for a group of writers and a dramaturg to share skills and techniques, and to fire up conversations and collaborations.
Its Education and Participation programme will start to return in person, having engaged with the Youth Theatre, Young Company and Over 60s group via Zoom throughout lockdown. Bec Martin’s Shakespeare Up Close productions of Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet filmed in the theatre in March 2021, are available for schools to watch, and the Orange Tree will also return to schools with a touring Primary Shakespeare production of Twelfth Night, directed by Fiona Drummond.
Each production in the season will also be filmed by The Umbrella Rooms and streamed online with OT On Screen following the company’s recent new plays project Inside/Outside. Over 3,500 tickets will be available for anyone at £15 across the season.
For more information visit: https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/