Arcadia comes to the Theatre Royal Brighton

Fragments of truth

Rivalry, desire, discovery … Tom Stoppard’s award-winning Arcadia comes to the Theatre Royal Brighton

Theatre Royal Brighton Productions and English Touring Theatre present a new touring production of Tom Stoppard’s undisputed masterpiece, Arcadia, which will open at Theatre Royal Brighton on 30 January 2015 before touring to playhouses around the UK.

Directed by Blanche McIntyre, who has at the age of 34 already won a number of coveted awards, this will be the first major UK tour of Arcadia since its original production over 20 years ago. The cast includes Brighton based actress Dakota Blue Richards, well known for her role in The Golden Compass.

In 19th century rural Derbyshire, secret desires and professional rivalries take hold of the residents of Sidley Park. The daughter of the house, Thomasina Coverly, is a bright and talented pupil tutored by Byron’s friend Septimus Hodge, who makes a startling discovery well ahead of her time. In the present day, academics Hannah Jarvis and Bernard Nightingale attempt to piece together the fragments of truth that tell her story.

Premiered at the National Theatre in 1993, Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia is considered one of the greatest plays of the last century, winning countless awards, including the 1993 Olivier and 1995 Tony Awards for Best Play. This production marks a new collaboration between Theatre Royal Brighton Productions (Dandy Dick, Blue Orange) and English Touring Theatre (Translations, Ghosts, The Misanthrope).

Tom Stoppard said: “I’m delighted that a new tour of Arcadia, directed by the young visionary Blanche McIntyre, is to take place. The current challenges for regional theatre in the UK mean that productions of this scale and quality are very rarely toured.”

Blanche McIntyre’s recent credits include Accolade (St James’ Theatre and Finborough Theatre), Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare’s Globe), Ciphers (Out of Joint/Bush Theatre), The Seagull (Headlong, Best Director at the UK Theatre Awards 2013), Tonight at 8.30 (English Touring Theatre/Nuffield Theatre Southampton).

Blanche describes Arcadia as “one of the finest plays of our era,” perfect for audiences who are “clever, curious and naturally interested in the world around them.”

Do not miss your chance to see this landmark piece of theatre when it visits Theatre Royal Brighton, before its UK tour.

To book tickets, visit
www.atgtickets.com/brighton*
0844 871 7650*
(*booking fees apply)