Dawn State Theatre Company to Launch New Tour of THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING

Following acclaimed runs at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival, Oxford Playhouse and 2015 VAULT Festival, Dawn State Theatre Company today announces a UK tour of The Man Who Would Be King, an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novella. Christopher Birks and Dan Nicholson reprise their roles in Dan Coleman's production which tours to 14 venues around the UK this autumn, starting at Greenwich Theatre on 20 September.

This is the story of Peachy Carnehan and Daniel Dravot, soldiers-for-hire amidst the shifting borders of the Middle East. Tired of the mercenary life, Peachy and Daniel have come up with a plan, head to Northern Afghanistan, enslave the natives, and install themselves as kings.

Dawn State Theatre Company combines searing text, bold physicality and original music to bring Kipling's ground-breaking debut novella to life, in a thrilling new play exploring Britain's place in the world today.

Joseph Rudyard Kipling remains one of Britain's most popular authors. Writing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet and novelist. His best known works include The Jungle Book, The White Man's Burden and the poem If-. His ground-breaking debut novella The Man Who Would Be King was written in 1888 and was later turned into the classic 1975 film of the same name starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine.

Dan Coleman is the Artistic Director and Producer of Dawn State Theatre Company. His work for the company includes The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster (New Diorama, Greenwich Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, Edinburgh Festival) and The Man Who Would Be King (New Diorama, Edinburgh Festival). His other directorial credits include Paradoxy (Pegasus Theatre, Trafalgar Studios), The Merchant of Venice (workshop production for the Royal Shakespeare Company), Skittles (BAC, Edinburgh Festival), The Biting Point (Theatre503) and Three Days in the Country (Oxford School of Drama). He was the joint Programming Director at Theatre503 in 2009 and the recipient of the TDA emerging producer bursary at Tamasha Theatre Company in 2015.

Christopher Birks plays the roles of Kipling and Dravot. He is a founding member of Dawn State Theatre Company for which his work includes The Wonderful Discovery of Witches (New Diorama, Greenwich Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, Edinburgh Festival). His other theatre credits include Dea (Sutton Theatres), Richard III (New Diorama), Count Oederland (Arcola Theatre), 4.3 Miles from Nowhere (Edinburgh Festival) and Boys of the Empire (King's Head and Edinburgh Festival). His television credits include Mr Selfridge.

Dan Nicholson plays the role of Peachy. He is a founding member of Dawn State Theatre Company for which his work includes The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster (New Diorama, Greenwich Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, Edinburgh Festival) and all original music for the company. His other theatre credits include Amadeus and The Cut (both Samuel Beckett Theatre). His television credits include The Rebel.

DAWN STATE THEATRE COMPANY makes thrilling, contemporary theatre inspired by classic texts and forgotten stories; connecting the most important questions of today with captivating tales from the past. The company's original production The Man Who Would Be King played to widespread critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival in 2014 before transferring to the Oxford Playhouse and VAULT Festival, London in 2015. That summer the company's second production The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster - a new play inspired by the true story of the Pendle Witches - was shortlisted for the inaugural Kevin Spacey Foundation Artists of Choice Award and played to sell-out audiences at the Edinburgh Festival before transferring to the New Diorama and Greenwich Theatre in 2016. The company is led by Artistic Director and Producer Dan Coleman and is supported by English Touring Theatre through their Forge development programme.

"Already looking like a group of theatre-makers to watch out for" The Stage

The touring production of The Man Who Would Be King is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

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