Lyric Hammersmith To Reopen With a Triple Bill
Three new plays to be staged to live audiences in the summer
Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director and CEO of the Lyric. Picture: Helen Maybanks
The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre is to begin live performances again in June with a triple bill of new plays by leading UK playwrights.
Out West will feature work by Tanika Gupta (A Doll’s House), Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) and Roy Williams (Death Of England: Delroy), to reopen the venue.
The plays explore themes of race, identity, place and purpose and are co-directed by the Lyric’s Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan and Diane Page.
Out West will run in the Main House from 18 June to 24 July. The show will operate with socially distanced seating for the entirety of the run. Tickets starting at £10 are on sale now via www.lyric.co.uk.
The show will also be filmed for audiences to watch at home and will be available for online streaming from 12 to 17 July. Casting for each of the one-person plays will be announced in due course.
Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director and CEO of the Lyric and Co-Director of Out West said, “Out West is the production that reopens our doors after the enforced closure due to the pandemic. The three writers, Tanika Gupta, Simon Stephens and Roy Williams, are some of the most exciting voices in British theatre and I am so proud that they are sharing our stage and bringing the Lyric back to life. All three plays speak to our current moment; questions of race, geography, identity, belonging and hope run through all three. Theatre has the power to move, to challenge and to entertain. It is also the medium through which, for centuries, human beings have attempted to understand each other and the world around us. I cannot think of a more necessary moment for theatre than now. I look forward, with co-director Diane Page, to sharing Out West with you. We are back. We are here.”
Diane Page, Co-Director, said: “Out West explores what it really means to belong in a shifting world. At a time when we have had cause to reflect on and analyse our values, beliefs and ideals – sometimes in uncomfortable and revealing conversations – each of these incredible plays proves to be ever more poignant.”
The Overseas Student by Tanika Gupta is set in London in 1888 when 18-year old Mohandas K Gandhi is sent to the UK from India to study Law. He must navigate a time of uncertainty, growth and opportunity as he builds a new life far from his home and family. In Gupta’s play we see a teenage Ghandi struggle against class and imperialism yet delight in the joys of money, food and women as he attempts to fit into English society.
Blue water and cold and fresh by Simon Stephens is set in modern day London and follows one man’s journey as he is forced to confront his late father’s racism and his own white privilege. In the wake of city lockdown living and Black Lives Matter protests, as he explores the places his father once lived, his mourning is filled with difficult truths.
In Go, Girl by Roy Williams once chosen as a schoolgirl to sing for the First Lady Michelle Obama, Donna is now a security guard patrolling the grounds of Westfield shopping centre. The hope and excitement she once felt has now become isolation and judgement of the choices she has made. Yet when Donna and her teenage daughter find themselves in a situation that tests their bravery and humanity, she realises just how truly remarkable they are.
Alongside the Lyric’s production of Out West, West London writer and poet Zia Ahmed will lead a playwriting partnership to create new stories that are rooted in West London with students across six secondary schools in Hammersmith & Fulham. A selection of work will be filmed and presented in the Lyric’s Cinema, running in parallel with Out West during the summer.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
March 26, 2021