Royal Court Theatre Announces ROUGH CUTS Season 2011

ROUGH CUTS Season 19-28 January 2011 Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Rough Cuts – a regular mini season of short plays, experimental readings and works in progress continues at the Royal Court from 19-28 January 2011.

Highlights include a new dance project from the US choreographer Manwe Sauls-Addison exploring the world of celebrity backing dancers, shorts from writers Alia Bano, Brad Birch and DC Jackson and a first glimpse of the Romany Project, an ongoing work developed from interviews with members of the Romany community in the East of England.

The programme begins with Court Short on 19-22 January - four nights of short plays by three young playwrights.

Alia Bano's debut play Shades at the Royal Court in 2009 won her an Evening Standard Award and she is currently writer in residence at the Royal Court. Her short play, Buried, will be directed by Joe Hill Gibbons. Brad Birch's piece Permafrost will be directed by Sam Taylor Wood. A recent graduate of the Royal Court's Young Writers' Programme, this will be his Royal Court debut.

DC Jackson's play will be directed by Jo McInnes. His most recent play was My Romantic History, which played to sell-out runs at Edinburgh Festival, Sheffield and The Bush Theatre and won a Scotsman Fringe First Award. On Fri 21 January, there will be a presentation of Unheard Voices: Romany Stories.

Playwrights Dan Allum and Nell Leyshon interviewed men and women from the Romany Traveller community and have developed this short verbatim play in response. The project will be directed by Indhu Rubasingham and the cast includes Mossie Smith. Luke Treadaway, Candis Nergaard, Anthony O'Donnell, Beatie Edney and Sean Chapman.

The Rough Cuts Programme will finish on an energetic note with 5,6,7,8 – a new dance piece from Manwe Sauls-Addison exploring the world of celebrity backing dancers. Manwe was choreographer on Wig Out! at the Royal Court in 2008 and has danced and provided choreography for Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson.

The piece will be directed by Gbolahan Obisesan. The Rough Cuts season will be in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at from 19 – 28 January 10. Tickets available online at www.royalcourttheatre.com or from the Box Office on 020 7565 5000.