Royal and Derngate are set to present world premieres of updated versions of the classic plays The Bacchae and Blood Wedding as part of its Festival of Chaos. The Bacchae will run May 18-June 30, and Blood Wedding will run May 25-June 3. Artistic director Laurie Sansom will direct both productions. Musical direction is by Thomas J Indge.
Rosanna Lowe’s new version of Euripides’ tragedy The Bacchae takes place in a modern city built on money and greed, where a riotous underground world is emerging. Performances will take place in the Chronicle and Echo Printing Press Rooms.
In his new version of Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding, Tommy Murphy combines poetry and music to tell the story of a long-term feud between two warring households in rural Spain.
The Bacchae and Blood Wedding will be performed in repertory with casts featuring Robert Benfield, Liam Bergin, Donna Berlin, Jim Bywater, Philip Cairns, Rosie Ede, Alicia Davies, Seline Hizli, Ery Nzaramba, Kathryn Pogson, and Amanda Wilkin.
Both pieces will feature original music by Dougal Irvine. The design team will include Oliver Townsend (set design, Blood Wedding), takis (set design, The Bacchae), Philip Gladwell (lighting design), and Christopher Shutt (sound design).
For more information and tickets to The Bacchae, click here.