Emma Rice's WISE CHILDREN Comes To The Belgrade Theatre

After opening to tremendous acclaim at London's Old Vic Theatre last year, Emma Rice's exuberant production of Wise Children heads to the Belgrade Theatre next month, promising a spectacular celebration of the joy of song, dance and showbiz.

Marking the debut of her new company of the same name, Wise Children is Emma Rice's first new production since her departure from Shakespeare's Globe, where she served as Artistic Director from 2016-18. The Belgrade Theatre is proud to be co-producing this exciting venture, and will be one of just two venues across the UK tour to see Rice herself appear on stage, taking up the leading role of former showgirl Nora Chance.

Based on Angela Carter's final novel, Wise Children tells the story of twin sisters Nora and Dora Chance as they reach their 70th birthday and reflect on their life so far. Raised on "the wrong side of the tracks", south of the river in Brixton, by their adopted "Grandma" Chance, Nora and Dora are illegitimate in every sense. Abandoned and disowned by their world-famous Shakespearean actor father, Melchior Hazard, the pair are nonetheless bitten by the theatre bug at an early age, carving out a career as dancing duo "The Lucky Chances" on some rather less reputable stages. But as Melchior and his own twin brother Peregrine reach their centenary, is there a chance for the family to finally be reunited and for old wounds to be healed?

Bringing her own uniquely impish vision to bear on Carter's gleefully irreverent tale, delivering a big, bawdy tangle of theatrical joy and pain. Expect Shakespeare and show girls, sex and scandal, music, mischief, magic, mistaken identity and butterflies by the thousand. What a joy it is to dance and sing!

Emma Rice said: "We've been on such a glorious adventure with our company Wise Children, and I can't think of a better way to finish our debut tour than stepping into the limelight alongside our wonderful cast to perform in Richmond and Coventry. It's an honour to share the stage with them and I'm very much looking forward to it!"

Emma Rice is the proud and excited Artistic Director of her new company, Wise Children. As Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe (2016/18), she directed Romantics Anonymous, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Little Matchgirl (and Other Happier Tales). For the previous 20 years, she worked for Kneehigh as an actor, director and Artistic Director. Her productions for Kneehigh include: The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Tristan & Yseult, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, The Red Shoes, Cymbeline (in association with RSC); Brief Encounter (in association with David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers Productions); Don John (in association with the RSC and Bristol Old Vic);

Co-produced by the Belgrade Theatre together with The Old Vic, Wise Children, Oxford Playhouse and York Theatre Royal, Wise Children runs at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry 2-6 April 2019. Tickets are available to book now by calling the box office on 024 7655 3055 or visiting www.belgrade.co.uk where prices are even cheaper.