The new Spring season at Omnibus Theatre highlights six productions, two of which are world premieres. Five are from companies visiting Omnibus Theatre for the first time and the other is the final play by one of the theatre’s most respected playwrights. The season ends with a dynamic twist on a classic re-imagined.
Commenting on the new season, artistic director Marie McCarthy said;
“This beautiful theatre has undergone a transformation over the last few months, thanks to a remodelled ground-floor we now have three performances spaces and upgraded facilities in all the right places. We’re ready for the season with a renewed spring in our step.
New writing is the thread that runs through this programme of work. Six writers and six plays bring fresh words and re-imagined texts. From January to April I invite you to discover the work of these talented companies on their first visit to Omnibus Theatre.
In January, Nikita Gill, the world’s most followed poet, brings her world premiere Maidens, Myths and Monsters in an evening of performance, poetry and projections. Her relatable words connect so deeply with millions.
The Glass Will Shatter by writer Joe Marsh, explores radicalisation and the government’s prevent strategy through a prism of words and perceived truths between a school teacher and pupil. It’s honest and compassionate and draws on the writer’s own experiences as a teacher in East London.
Turning to dark comedy, Flights by John O’Donovan is a beautifully studied play informed by the working-class community he grew up in. Delving into the lives and psyche of men in rural Ireland Donovan’s is a refreshing and contemporary voice.
I’m really proud to be welcoming the late Philip Osment’s Can I Help You. His final play is a moving story and tribute to those he worked with. He listened to the powerless and silenced, those people marginalised from society and gave them a voice. This play, which now forms part of his brilliant legacy, is all about the magic of hope.
Following on from Philip’s parting gift, is The Apologists. What it means to say sorry is the provocation behind this hit show. Three interlinked pieces, take a very current topic and asks how we decide as a society when to forgive someone.
We punch through to the other side of the season ending with a classic, Volpone. But, Ben Johnson’s 16th Century satire is given a distinct update by African Caribbean Theatre company Tangle. Masters of staging, they are the team behind the award-winning Faustus. Their ingenious fusion of South African township inspired theatre, vibrant lighting and a backdrop of Jazz will be a dynamic re-imagining like no other.”
