Ramps on the Moon Takes THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR on UK Tour

Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in association with Ramps On The Moon, presents THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR, written by Nikolai Gogol, adapted by David Harrower and directed by Roxana Silbert. The play will tour the UK from 19th March to 25th June 2016.

The new production from Ramps On The Moon, the collaborative network of seven theatres dedicated to increasing opportunities for disabled people, is to tour to following a premiere at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. David Harrower's adaptation of Gogol's biting moral satire, first seen at the Young Vic in 2011, will be directed by Roxana Silbert, Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre, using creatively integrated Audio Description, Captioning and British Sign Language.

The news that a government inspector is due to arrive in a small Russian town sends its bureaucrats into a panicked frenzy. The Mayor's fear is well-founded as he has been somewhat lacking in his official duties: the hospital's a health hazard, the school's a war zone, the soldiers don't have trousers to march in and he never quite got around to finishing his building programme. However, a simple case of mistaken identity leads to matters spiralling out of control, exposing the hypocrisy and corruption at the heart of the town in this biting satire. Surely the only reasonable solution is bribery!

Director Roxana Silbert said "THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR is a masterpiece and a play I've always wanted to direct. It's a great satire about the personal and political ramifications of corruption in a world where everyone has lost their moral compass. David Harrower's excellent adaptation is fresh and modern and we are loving finding the theatrical possibilities opened up by putting accessible theatre at the heart of the production."

Ramps On The Moon brings together a collaborative network of Arts Council of England National Portfolio Organisations led by New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich with strategic partner Graeae Theatre, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Nottingham Playhouse, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Sheffield Theatres. The consortium was formed to address the under representation and employment of disabled people in the theatre industry.

Visionary Russian writer and satirist Nikolai Gogol wrote THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR in 1836. Valdimir Nabokov described it as the greatest play in the Russian language. Although he died at just 42, Gogol's literary influence was considerable and paved the way for writers such as Kafka and Dostoevsky. Amongst his other famous works are Dead Souls, Diary of a Madman, The Overcoat and The Nose (later made into an opera by a young Shostakovich).

David Harrower's many plays include the Olivier Award-winning Blackbird (West End, Broadway) and Knives in Hens, which has been performed in more than 20 countries.

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR will feature: Sound and Music by Ben and Max Ringham; Lighting Design by Chahine Yavroyan; Set and Costume Design by Ti Green; Video Design by Timothy Bird; Movement Direction by Ayse Tashkiran; and Associate Director Ewan Marshall.

In the cast are: Becky Barry, David Carlyle, Richard Clews, Stephen Collins, Rachel Denning, Rebekah Hinds, Daryl Jackson, Michael Keane, Ewan Marshall, Rhona McKenzie, Francesca Mills, Robin Morrissey, Kiruna Stamell, Simon Startin, Jean St Clair, Sophie Stone, Aaron Virdee and Amanda Wright.

For more information, visit www.rampsonthemoon.co.uk.

---

TOUR DATES:

19 - 26 Mar Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EP

Various times | £25 - £17.50 (concs available)
birmingham-rep.co.uk | 0121 236 4455

6 - 16 Apr New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

Civic Drive, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2AS

Various times | £25 - £10 (conc available)

www.wolseytheatre.co.uk | 01473 295 900

20 - 30 Apr West Yorkshire Playhouse

Playhouse Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 7UP

Tues - Sat 7.30pm, Thurs 1.30pm, Sat 2pm | £29 - £13 (concs available)

www.wyp.org.uk | 0113 213 7700

4 - 14 May Nottingham Playhouse

Wellington Circus, Nottingham NG1 5AF

Various times | £26.50 - £9.50
nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk | 0115 941 9419

18 - 28 May Theatre Royal, Stratford East
Gerry Raffles Square, London E15 1BN

Tues - Sat 7.30p, Sat 28th 3pm | £25 - £8

stratfordeast.com | 020 8534 0310

1 - 11 June Liverpool Everyman

Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BH

Weds 1 - Sat 11 June at 7:30pm (except Thurs 2 June), Twilight at 5:30pm on Thurs 2 June

Matinees at 1:30pm on 9 June & 2pm 4 and 11 June l £24 - £9.50

www.everymanplayhouse.com | 0151 709 4776

17 - 25 June The Crucible, Sheffield

Norfolk Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S1 2LA

Tues - Sat 7.30pm, Weds 2.30pm, Sat 25th 2.30pm | £22 - £20 (£19.50 - £17.50 concs)

www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk | 0114 249 6000