Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director at the Young Vic has announced the programme for 2020.
In the Main House, the season will feature Nora: A Doll’s House, Stef Smith’s radical reworking of Ibsen’s classic, a co-production with Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, directed by Elizabeth Freestone. World Premiere of Orfeus: A House Music Opera, a contemporary retelling of Ovid’s myth, created by and starring Nmon Ford as Orfeus and directed by Charles Randolph-Wright
In a co-production with LIFT for 2020, internationally-acclaimed 24-hour feat of endurance performance and live cinema The Second Woman, created by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon.
Cush Jumbo makes her Young Vic debut as Hamlet in Shakespeare’s great tragedy, directed by her long-time collaborator Greg Hersov.
Academy Award-nominee Ruth Negga is Portia in Portia Coughlan, Marina Carr’s haunting play directed by Caroline Byrne.
Also in 2020, there will be a brand new strand of music and club nights in The Maria studio.
Taking Part, the Young Vic’s participation programme, announce a new season of work made for and with the local community including; 8196 Humans, a play created with young people from London’s travelling community; TWENTY TWENTY, a year-long project about the history and heritage of Lambeth and Southwark; a parallel production around Nora: A Doll’s House made with schools and young people; and Nobler in the Mind, exploring attitudes to mental health, inspired by the upcoming production of Hamlet
Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah said: “It is with much joy that I introduce a programme for 2020 which includes on our Main Stage: two exciting Young Vic debuts from world-class talents – the magnificent Cush Jumbo playing Hamlet, and the incredible Academy Award-nominee, Ruth Negga, in Marina Carr’s hauntingly brilliant Portia Coughlan; Stef Smith’s radical new version of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House seen through an entirely fresh lens; Nmon Ford’s Orfeus, the first house music opera; and the genre-busting, utterly unique 24-hour endurance feat, The Second Woman, a co-production with LIFT. My hope is that these plays and these players will do more than just entertain us, they will reflect and refract the times we are living in.
On the horizon is a significant development of our Directors Program website, maximising the opportunities for the 1,200 emerging artists we work with every year. We are also excited to announce a new series of music and club nights, as well as a continuation of our YV:ID ‘Town Hall’ live debate events. Theatre should be a two-way dialogue, and these opportunities to hear from our audiences directly on subjects that matter to them are pivotal in ensuring we continue to serve in a 21st century stylee! (Yes, the double ee is on purpose!)
Over the past few decades, the Young Vic has created a profound and vital connection with its nearest neighbours through the work produced by our Taking Part team, and this mission will continue to be at the heart of what we do. Over the next year, we will create work with and for our community, around themes including home, heritage and mental health. We will embark on our second tour of YV Unpacked, taking She Ventures and He Wins to local audiences who cannot easily access our building. And as ever, we remain committed to keeping our ticket prices low, no matter what the box office demand, with at least 10% of tickets allocated free of charge to schools and neighbours.
I can’t wait to share these extraordinary experiences and phenomenal talents with you. Come and join us.”
Tickets for 2020 Main House shows go on sale to Friends of the Young Vic Tue 18 June, 12pm. Public booking opens Tue 25 June, 12pm.
