What's on at the Royal Court for the 2019/2020 season?
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
The Royal Court Theatre, best known for catering to a multitude of artistic viewpoints and providing a seedbed for emerging works and talents, have recently announced their programme for the highly-anticipated 2019/2020 season. Packed with 18 new productions in total, the ambitious new season will feature a phenomenal year of work like you've never seen before. If such provocative titles as two Palestinians go dogging doesn't catch your attention, we don't know what will. Perhaps even tickets for Sarah Hanly's Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks might tickle your fancy.
In a special comment made in response to the season announcement, Royal Court Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone expressed her amazement by our constant 'hunger and capacity for story,' which she further defined as 'the human need to make sense of the world in which we live and our openness to be surprised and enlightened by it.'
Discover what's on for the Royal Court's 2019/2020 season below and be sure to book your tickets well in advance to secure the best seats and prices!
The Royal Court Theatre have officially announced a year of work for the upcoming 2019/2020 season. Tickets are expected to be red hot and high in demand!
Royal Court Theatre 2019/20 Autumn/Winter tickets on sale now from just £15!
Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation
3 Sep – 21 Sep 2019 (20 performances)
Kicking off the new Royal Court season this year is this experimental piece by Tim Crouch that will immerse London theatre audiences in all the action. After highly successful runs at the National Theatre of Scotland and Edinburgh International Festival, this interactive theatrical experience will have you, the audience, take part as you turn the pages of this story together. Tim Crouch has penned a book that predicts answers to some of our greatest questions: black holes, complex equations and words spoken to the very end. Don't miss the fascinating season opener this September.
🎫 Book your tickets for Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation at the Royal Court Theatre from £30.
My Name is Why
3 Sep 2019 (1 performance)
Renowned author Lemn Sissay returns to the Royal Court for another one-off reading event, this time for his book, My Name is Why: A Memoir. For one night only, you will discover the compelling story of an Ethiopian-British foster child named Norman Greenwood who only learnt of his true name, Lemn Sissay, when he was 17.
🎫 Book your tickets for My Name is Why at the Royal Court Theatre when they become available.
Glass. Kill. Bluebeard
18 Sep – 12 Oct 2019 (23 performances)
Directed by frequent Royal Court collaborator James Macdonald, this triple bill boasts a captivatingly simple premise: a girl made from glass, gods, and cold-blooded murder. Caryl Churchill's bone-chilling new work, Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. comes after her highly successful Escaped Alone.
🎫 Book your tickets for Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. at the Royal Court Theatre from £15.
A History of Water in the Middle East
10 Oct – 16 Nov 2019 (38 performances)
British-Egyptian artist Sabrina Mahfouz wanted to be a spy for MI6 once, but they told her she wasn't British enough. The bi-lingual poet now undertakes her own mission as she explores the voices of women from across the Middle East, a war-torn region under occupation from the Western world as they seek to quench their unquenchable thirst for oil. But will water soon hold the key for power in the region? And how do natural resources like water owned by the British Empire continue to shape politics and our future? Find out with tickets to see this unmissable new tale, A History of Water in the Middle East, by award-winning playwright Sabrina Mahfouz.
🎫 Book your tickets for A History of Water in the Middle East at the Royal Court Theatre from £24.
On Bear Ridge
24 Oct – 23 Nov 2019 (30 performances)
The owners of Bear Ridge Store, John Daniel and Noni, refuse to leave this now desolate ghost town. Once a bustling village complete with a grocery store, butcher's shop, and other mom-and-pop boutiques, the town has now become a quiet wasteland, easily missable on a map. The two owners drink what's left of the whiskey as a mysterious figure approaches them from the darkness... On Bear Ridge is a sure-fire hit and spectacular new thriller by the award-winning playwright, Ed Thomas, that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
🎫 Book your tickets for On Bear Ridge at the Royal Court Theatre from £15.
Midnight Movie
27 Nov – 21 Dec 2019 (25 performances)
Written by experimental playwright, Eve Leigh, this highly unique production combines BSL, closed captioning, audio description and spoken English set within a relaxed environment in order to provide West End audiences with an unforgettable, multi-sensory experience. Step into the world of the Extremely Online where you constantly search but you're just not sure what it is you're searching for. A girl struggles for her life in a lift. New tab. A violent demonstration in Trafalgar Square. New tab. A naked man in the bathtub. New tab. Janelle Monae dropping it like it's hot in the pale moonlight. New tab. Be sure not to skip this one-of-a-kind play when it opens this November!
🎫 Book your tickets for Midnight Movie at the Royal Court Theatre from £24.
A Kind of People
5 Dec 2019 – 18 Jan 2019 (32 performances)
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti presents his brand-new ensemble work, A Kind of People. Set on a Friday night at a party in the outskirts, most people may be having the time of their life, but that doesn't mean it's all fine and dandy for others. Gary and Nicky have been going out since high school, but now Gary is set to receive a life-changing promotion that could bring his family out of poverty and allow him to give Nicky everything. Mo and Anjum will do whatever it takes to make it to the top. Gary's sister Karen would rather live her best life than work hard to make it in life. Victoria is a senseless party girl who just wants to dance with somebody. And Mark is just...Mark. Don't miss the UK premiere of A Kind of People by award-winning playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti!
🎫 Book your tickets for A Kind of People at the Royal Court Theatre from £15.
Scenes with Girls
15 Jan – 22 Feb 2020 (39 performances)
Tosh and Lou are not like other girls. Even though they get boyfriends, they are not ready to become your average cliche. This unique piece directed by Royal Court Associate Director Lucy Morrison and written by acclaimed playwright Miriam Battye comes as part of the Royal Court Writers' Group and will prove to be a fantastic new coming-of-age story you'll never forget..
🎫 Book your tickets for Scenes with Girls at the Royal Court Theatre from £24.
Poet in da Corner
30 Jan – 5 Feb 2020 (4 performances)
Debris Stevenson's smash-hit, coming-of-age story is set to return to the Royal Court Theatre stage next year for a strictly-limited, 4-performance run. Enter Stevenson's semi-autobiographical and technicolour world where the spoken word collides with music and movement. A grime album entitled Boy in da Corner changes an East London girl with dyslexia's life forever as she finds the freedom and courage to explore her sexuality.
🎫 Book your tickets for Poet in da Corner at the Royal Court Theatre from £17.
Royal Court Theatre 2019/20 Spring/Summer tickets on sale in October 2019!
Shoe Lady
4 Mar – 21 Mar 2020
Viv owns just one pair of shoes. Her world turns upside down when one shoe gets lost and she literally becomes the old woman who lives in her shoe. With bleeding feet and the curtains slowly beginning to fall, can Viv rescue the rogue shoe and her sanity?
🎫 Shoe Lady Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.
Rare Earth Mettle
2 Apr – 25 Apr 2020
A top British doctor has a crazy plan to save the NHS whilst a self-made billionaire from Silicon Valley has a grand master plan to save the world from climate change. But when the two meet in South America at an abandoned train, they begin to fight to claim Kimsa and his daughter's land. Will their merciless and radical fight for the greater good make up for their unwavering desire to seize this land?
🎫 Rare Earth Mettle Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.
two Palestinians go dogging
9 Apr – 9 May 2020
Don't let the prude in you be scared off by this '"interesting" title. While two Palestinians go dogging does indeed involve the dirty deed, it remains a politically-charged play with a comedic twist. Witness married couple Sayeed and his wife Reem as they share a story of Palestine set in 2024. A contested piece of land just outside the village of Beit al-Qadir serves as the setting for this award-winning play by Sami Ibrahim that you won't want to miss.
🎫 two Palestinians go dogging Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.
Is In Our Blood – The Song Project
7 May – 16 May 2020
A dream team of collaborators featuring the likes of award-winning composer Isobel Waller-Bridge and Dutch songstress Wende bring their fresh and innovative new concert, The Song Project, straight to the Royal Court Theatre next May for an extraordinary medley of world-class music hits.
🎫 Is In Our Blood – The Song Project Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.
A Fight Against…
20 May – 20 Jun 2020
Embark on a tour across the Americas as Pablo Manzi's A Fight Against... play takes you to Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay, and more as it explores the significance of violence and whether it brings us closer together.
🎫 A Fight Against… Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.
The Glow
29 May – 4 Jul 2020
In the West End, no one can hear you scream. Get ready to be haunted and spooked as The Glow takes you straight to the insane asylum in 1863 where you'll get a look inside a windowless solitary confinement cell. It's here where you will meet a nameless woman who suffers from amnesia and has no idea who she is or why she's there. Medium Mrs Lyall needs a new assistant and the woman without a name appears to be just the ticket. But when the mysterious woman's unfamiliar past slowly begins to unravel, so do her bizarre powers and neither of them are prepared for what happens next...
🎫 The Glow Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.
Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks
29 Jun – 11 Jul 2020
Arguably the highlight of the season, but for reasons similar to two Palestinians go dogging, this all-new play by Sarah Hanly follows Sinead Murphy, a girl who has discovered how to get off by using a vibrating toothbrush. But as she gets it on with boys in car parks at the church discos while receiving good marks in school, the teachers can't help but wonder whether she has what it takes to be the teacher herself. But Sinead holds another big secret, and it doesn't involve dental care objects. This thought-provoking play with dark subject matter that includes rape, eating disorders, grief, mental health, and sexuality is not something to pass up nest summer. Be sure to get your tickets as soon as they become available this autumn!
🎫 Purple Snowflakes and Titty Wanks Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.
Is God Is
16 Jul – 15 Aug 2020
Twins Anaia and Racine set off on a quest to find their mum whom they thought was dead after receiving a mysterious letter in the post. Taking a road trip from the South to the Californian desert, they are determined to get their apt revenge and take control of their own lives. Think Thelma and Louise meets Spaghetti Western with a bit of Afropunk and hip-hop thrown into the mix for good measure.
🎫 Is God Is Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.
Nanjing
3 Sep – 21 Sep 2019
While the Holocaust was an incredibly tragic, mass murder genocide that played out in the Western world, many Westerners forget or are unfamiliar with another horrible event in the East that took place before World War II: the Nanjing Massacre. Also referred to as the Rape of Nanjing, this horrifying event devastated the lives of millions in China. Jude Christian takes a look at how the effects of history dictate our lives in the present day in this play set in England, China, Japan, Germany, Malaysia, and the US. Witness this compelling story next year and discover the answer to the burning question: what does it mean to love and fight hate?
🎫 Nanjing Royal Court Theatre tickets on sale October 2019.