Michael Socha and Tamla Kari Lead THIS IS LIVING, Beginning Tonight at Trafalgar Studios

Following a critically-acclaimed Edinburgh production in 2014, THIS IS LIVING by award-winning debut play by Liam Borrett, starring Michael Socha (E4's The Aliens, This is England, Being Human) and Tamla Kari (BBC's The Musketeers, The Inbetweeners Movie, Versailles (Donmar)) is a poignant and relatable exploration of what it means to say goodbye.

The production will play Trafalgar Studios (14 Whitehall, London SW1A 2DY) tonight 17th May to Saturday 11th June 2016. Press Night is slated for Thursday 19th May, 7pm.

Alice and Michael met six years ago. Three years later their daughter Lily was born. Now, in a Yorkshire meadow, just past midnight, they're having an argument. Because Alice is cold, she's tired, and Michael won't stop telling her that she died twelve hours ago.

Dealing with themes of loss, grief and heartache, this intimate portrayal of a relationship forces us to examine our own lives. With only the simplest of lighting, the couple skilfully flit between the past and eerily into the present where their thoughts stay with us long after the curtain has closed.

Writer and director Liam Borrett comments, Saying goodbye has always interested me. Whilst it happens at different times to different people, the fact remains that it is an unavoidable part of life. To place two people in this situation, especially people with so much to lose in doing so, fascinated me. It is as impossible as it is unavoidable. If you were to stand opposite the person you loved most, knowingly for the last time, what would you say?

We soon realise that this is a family riven asunder by tragedy, but rather than dwell on cheap melancholy, we witness instead two loving individuals whose determination to grow with each other stretches beyond the grave. Although the story told here of their romance is slight, it keeps you guessing all the way, flipping from past to present in mid-sentence, slowly piecing itself together as the fragments of time join up (The Stage).

This production will be a reworked transfer of the original Edinburgh Festival 2014 production, which played at Bedlam Theatre in 2014. This run of the play received critical acclaim and won EntertainmentWise's Best New Play award.

IF YOU GO:

THIS IS LIVING by Liam Borrett

Tuesday 17th May - Saturday 11th June 2016
Monday - Saturday 7.45pm
Thursday and Saturday matinees 3pm
Running time: 2 hours with interval

Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY

Trafalgar Studios is located on Whitehall. The nearest underground stations are Charing Cross (on the Bakerloo and Northern lines), Embankment (on the Bakerloo, Northern, Circle and District lines), Westminster (on the Jubilee, Circle and District lines) and Leicester Square (on the Northern and Piccadilly lines). The nearest rail station is Charing Cross.

Tickets are available for £15, £25, £30 from the Trafalgar Studios Box Office and www.atgtickets.com/venues/trafalgar-studios, 0844 871 7632

Michael was a member of the Carlton TV workshop and was a Screen International 'Star of Tomorrow' in 2009. TV includes the out and out lead in new E4 drama The Aliens, Shane Meadows' BAFTA winning series This Is England and the follow-up series, ABC's Once Upon a Time and One Upon a Time in Wonderland, and as a series lead in the hit BBC show Being Human. Michael has previously been seen on stage in Glamour at The Nottingham Playhouse. His films include Summer which won the Scottish BAFTA for Best Feature Film and Better Things.

Tamla trained at Drama Centre. She stars in the BBC/BBC America hit show The Musketeers in the leading role of Constance. Since graduating from Drama Centre where she filmed The Inbetweeners Movie during her final term, she has worked consistently starring in both the BBC's comedy Cuckoo opposite Andy Samberg and ITV's series The Job Lot as well as guest starring in the acclaimed Being Human and BBC's Silk. In 2012, Tamla won the Manchester Theatre Award for Best Newcomer for her performance in Matthew Dunster's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning at the Royal Exchange before going on to star in Peter Gill's Versailles opposite Tom Hughes at The Donmar Warehouse. In 2015, Tamla reprised her role of Lucy in The Inbetweeners Movie 2 and will soon appear in the third series of BBC's The Musketeers.

Originally from Norwich, Liam moved to London to train on the BA Directing course at Drama Centre, London. Shortly after graduating, Liam took This Is Living, his debut play as writer and director to the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His second play, Dancing, a one woman monologue about early onset Alzheimers, premiered at the Etcetera Theatre in early 2015. Alongside this, Liam has created work for the Arcola's Miniaturists evening, directing his own work in 2014, Hannah, and recently, Declan Feenan's Boileroom. As Assistant Director: Who Do We Think We Are? (Southwark Playhouse), Hannah_27 : Adventures In Online Dating (Richmix/Tristan Bates Theatre), Our House (Theatre503).