Following the success of recent co-productions including FIJI, THE GIRL WHO WAS VERY GOOD AT LYING and DRUM, Omnibus Theatre today announces Charlie Dupré’s Compositor E, directed by the Omnibus Theatre’s Artistic Director Marie McCarthy. Published by Methuen Drama and longlisted for the Bruntwood Playwriting Prize in 2022.
The play follows 17-year-old apprentice typesetter, John, working on a commission of Shakespeare’s first-ever complete works as he processes his turbulent upbringing and is presented in line with the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio.
Celebrating the power and joy of words, Compositor E explores the many unlikely fingerprints that write and re-write history. Running from 22 September to 7 October, with previews from 19 September this new in-house production announced within the season marking Omnibus Theatre’s 10th Birthday and fuses its heritage as a Library with its current life as an independent theatre.
Marie McCarthy, Artistic Director of Omnibus Theatre said today, “When I read Charlie Dupré’s play set in 1623, I was struck by how relevant it is to audiences today: exploring themes around authenticity, creative agency and shining a light on the working-class people who shaped history – rather than just the traditional heroes we are taught about. In line with our 10th Birthday this Autumn, we look forward to creating a new production, which celebrates the stories we all have in us.”
Compositor E will run at Omnibus Theatre 19th September to 7th October