MAN TO MAN With Tilda Swinton to Transfer to Traverse Theatre
Stephen Unwin directs Tilda Swinton in Manfred Karge's play, with design by Bunny Christie.
This autumn, Manfred Karge's Man to Man, starring Tilda Swinton will embark on a series of international engagements, bringing together leading theatrical institutions in a major artistic collaboration.
Opening as part of The Royal Court Theatre's 70th anniversary season, the production will subsequently transfer to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, which originally produced the UK premiere before it transferred to The Royal Court Theatre in 1987. From Edinburgh, Man to Man continues its journey around the world, running at the Berliner Ensemble, Manfred Karge's artistic home, and concluding its season in New York in Spring 2027.
Translated from German by Anthony Vivis and revised by Stephen Unwin (2026); the play reunites members of the original creative team, including director Stephen Unwin, designer Bunny Christie and lighting designer Ben Ormerod. More than 30 years after she first brought the role to life at both the Traverse Theatre and Royal Court Theatre, and the last time she performed live in a theatre, Tilda Swinton returns to the stage in the lead role as Ella/Max.
The full creative team has also been announced, including sound designer Elena Peña, projection designer Matt Powell, movement director Kane Husbands, design associate Verity Sadler, props supervisor Lily Mollgaard, associate director Eleanor Burke and voice by Hazel Holder.
In 1930s Germany, a woman puts on her dead husband's trousers and never takes them off. As the world around her changes, she endures war and dictatorship, hunger and humiliation – always fighting to stay alive.
The production opens at The Royal Court Theatre from Saturday 5 September - Saturday 24 October with Press Night on Friday 11 September 2026, and then runs at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh from Thursday 29 October - Saturday 7 November 2026. In 2027, Man to Man transfers to the Berliner Ensemble with a premiere on 9 February 2027 and will run in New York in Spring 2027, with further details to be announced.
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