Arcola Theatre, Atticist and Ellie Keel Productions today announce the UK première of Anna Bella Eema by award-winning writer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Lisa D’Amour. The new production, directed by Jessica Lazar, opens at Arcola Theatre on 16 September, with previews from 11 September, and runs until 12 October.
‘Something is coming. It’s either the interstate or the end of the world.’
Precocious child Annabella lives in a deserted trailer park. Schooled by her eccentric mother Irene, she learns to co-exist with the vampires, werewolves and monsters which lurk in the world outside.
Desperate to ward off the new highway which threatens the demolition of their home, Annabella steps outside to build a girl out of mud. The girl comes to life. The girl is Anna Bella Eema.
Part ghost story, part fairytale, part coming-of-age fantasy, Anna Bella Eema is a dazzling burst of storytelling from the dark heart of American Gothic.
Lisa D’Amour’s wildly inventive, spoken-and-sung odyssey makes its UK premiere in a new and updated version, with original score by Chris Sidorfsky.
Lisa D’Amour said today, “I’m so thrilled to be returning to London to work with Atticist and the Arcola for work on my play Anna Bella Emma. It’s quite a gift to have the chance to revisit an early work – in this case, the play that launched my professional career. I am so moved by the open-hearted enthusiasm Atticist has for the original work, and grateful for the opportunity to look deeper into the play make some adjustments. I’m very interested in flow, change and evolution, in life and work. It’s wonderful to meet a company who shares these values.”
Anna Bella Eema is part of the Arcola’s Autumn 2019 Season also announced today.
