Team Behind MERCURY FUR West End Revival to Bring Tracy Letts' SUPERIOR DONUTS to Southwark Playhouse, 11 Feb - 8 March

The team behind the critically acclaimed West End revival of Philip Ridley's Mercury Fur are to present the UK premiere of Superior Donuts by the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Tracy Letts. Directed by Ned Bennett and produced by The Trick (formerly known as Greenhouse Theatre Company) and Sarah Stribley Productions, Superior Donuts will run in The Little at Southwark Playhouse from Tuesday 11 February - Saturday 8 March.

Press night is Friday 14 February at 7.30pm.
As Starbucks and organic food stores pop up all around it in UpTown Chicago, Arthur Przybyszewski continues to run the small rundown donut shop set up by his Polish immigrant father. Neglected by its owner and damaged by vandals, Superior Donuts only survives thanks to a diverse group of loyal neighbourhood customers. But when Arthur hires an excitable romantic, Franco Wicks, who wants to change the shop for the better to work alongside him, he is forced to confront the modern reality of the American Dream.

A darkly comic and provocative drama about the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship, Superior Donuts brings to life the eclectic characters and changing face of a busy Chicago neighbourhood. This stunning new play premiered in 2008 at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where Tracy Letts has been a member of the ensemble since 2002, and it subsequently transferred to Broadway.

Cast to be announced.

Tracy Letts' previous work includes the multi award-winning August: Osage County (now a film starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, due for UK cinema release on January 17), for which he received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. It premiered at Steppenwolf in 2007, played on Broadway and had its UK premiere at the National Theatre. He was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist for A Man From Nebraska, Bug (Gate Theatre) and Killer Joe (Bush Theatre). An acclaimed actor, he won a Tony for his performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Broadway) and currently stars as Senator Andrew Lockhart in hit C4 series Homeland.

Ned Bennett is Co-Artistic Director of The Trick where he has directed Philip Ridley's Mercury Fur which opened at the Old Red Lion before transferring to the West End's Trafalgar Studios. His other directing credits include Excellent Choice (The Vaults); A Butcher of Distinction (The King's Head Theatre); Selling Clive (Lost Theatre) all by Rob Hayes; Mr Noodles (Manchester Royal Exchange); Blue Rabbits (Templeworks) by Alistair McDowall; David Mamet's Edmond (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Smartcard (Shunt Vaults). Ned has spent the last year as Resident Trainee Director at The Royal Court Theatre where he has been assistant director to Vicky Featherstone, Carrie Cracknell, John Tiffany, Anthony Neilson, Jeremy Herrin and Simon Godwin. Directing credits at the Royal Court include Lost in Theatre; Primetime and Pigeons (Royal Court Schools Tour).

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