Casting Announced For European Premiere of CHEMISTRY

In a production commissioned by the Finborough Theatre, the acclaimed multi award-winning American play by Jacob Marx Rice, Chemistry opens at the Finborough Theatre in its European Premiere for a four-week limited season on Tuesday, 29 October 2019 (Press Nights: Thursday, 31 October and Friday, 1 November 2019 at 7.30pm).

Steph struggles with chronic depression. Jamie just overachieved himself off the deep end. When they meet in their psychiatrist's office, sparks fly and they stumble unexpectedly into a beautiful relationship. But how do you trust someone else when you are already in a battle with your own brain?

Last year, 70.9 million prescriptions for antidepressants were dispensed in England alone, while, in the United States, an estimated 15.5 million Americans have taken antidepressant medication for at least five years and over. With dark humour, a beautiful soundtrack and captivating visuals, Chemistry is an intimate, frank and uncompromising examination of the chemicals we take and how they impact our ability to love.

Chemistry has been produced at Hollywood Fringe Festival, Cincinnati Fringe Festival, New York International Fringe Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Alchemical Theatre Laboratory, and now receives its European premiere at the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre.

Playwright Jacob Marx Rice's work has been produced and developed at the Flea Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, the New Ohio Theatre, Atlantic Theatre Stage 2, and others. His play series The Suicidal Comedies - consisting of Chemistry, Coping, and Cracks - has been produced around the United States, and has won the Kennedy Center's Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, the Excellence in Playwriting Award and FringeFAVE at the NY Fringe Festival, Producer's Pick at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, and Producer's Encore Pick at the Hollywood Fringe. Jacob is a 2017 Playwright Observer at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, a member of The Shelter, and studied at New York University on their MFA for Dramatic Writing.

Alex Howarth's production of We Live By the Sea opened the Brits Off Broadway season at 59E59 Theatres in New York 2018, where it was Critic's Pick in The New York Times. It was nominated for a Fringe First and OffWestEnd Awards for Best Ensemble and Best Production, ran at the SoHo Playhouse Off-Broadway, and won Best Theatre, Critics' Choice, and Peace Foundation Awards and was in the Top Six Shows To See in The Guardian during two seasons at Adelaide Festival. He regularly leads research and development periods for new writing and adapted and directed the world stage premiere of What's Eating Gilbert Grape, working alongside the film's writer, Oscar nominee Peter Hedges. He regularly directs at drama schools including Mountview, Associated Studios, and University of Cumbria. Recent work includes Misterman (New Wimbledon Theatre, and Brockley Jack Theatre), Oh! You Pretty Things (Southwark Playhouse), Back to Blackbrick (Arts Theatre), Two Sides (Arcola Theatre) The Red Light (Union Theatre), and Junk (Old Red Lion Theatre). He is the Artistic Director of Patch of Blue, who create devised theatre pieces with live music for festivals and touring. As a writer, his work has toured the UK to great acclaim - most recently, award winning feminist gig play Sirens which was performed in a combination of English and British Sign Language. He has worked extensively with people with disabilities, having created performances with deafblind adults for the charity Sense. Forthcoming productions include Assistant Direction on La Traviata at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in January 2020.

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