The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre today announce a new co-production of 4.48 Psychosis, which sees the original cast and creative team re-visit Sarah Kane’s final masterpiece 25 years on. Following its opening at the Royal Court Theatre the production transfers to The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon for twenty performances only from Thursday 10 – Sunday 27 July, with local press night on Tuesday 15 July.
The final performance will take place at 4.48am on the morning of Sunday 27 July 2025. The unique event will also include a post-show discussion with the cast and creative team over breakfast.
First performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Upstairs on 23 June 2000, 4.48 Psychosis plunges the audience into the mind of an unnamed protagonist grappling with severe depression. This unflinching portrait of a psyche teetering on the edge of oblivion returns to the stage in a new production directed by James Macdonald (Waiting for Godot, West End) with original cast members Daniel Evans, Jo McInnes and Madeleine Potter reprising their critically acclaimed roles.
RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey said:
“Sarah Kane’s final work cemented her legacy as a seminal playwright of British theatre. 25 years on from the play’s premiere at the Royal Court Theatre, this new production of 4.48 Psychosis represents a landmark moment for the RSC in 2025. To be staging this era-defining work in The Other Place, a theatre synonymous with radical new productions, is particularly thrilling. To mark this moment in time, we are also offering Stratford audiences the unique opportunity to experience the final performance of this play at 4.48am in the morning, at the break of dawn.”
Daniel Evans, who was in the original cast of 4.48 Psychosis in 2000, added:
“I had the privilege of first working with Sarah Kane on Cleansed in 1998. Within two years, I was back in the rehearsal room alongside Madeleine Potter and Jo McInnes, rehearsing her final play. I think it’s safe to say we all felt the weight of responsibility. To be back in that same rehearsal room, 25 years on, re-united with Director James Macdonald and the original creative team is both a tremendous honour and a joy, knowing that new generations of audiences will have the opportunity to experience this complex, vital and astonishing play through a new lens in 2025.”
Joining James Macdonald on the creative team are Set & Costumer Designer Jeremy Herbert, Lighting Designer Nigel Edwards and Sound Designer Paul Arditti.
The production opens at the Royal Court Theatre from Thursday 12 June – Saturday 5 July with national press night on Wednesday 18 June. The co-production is one of seven titles to feature in David Byrne’s second season as Royal Court Theatre Artistic Director, which was announced earlier today. Further details of the RSC’s Spring/Summer season will be announced in January 2025.
