The Royal Shakespeare Company is to premiere new plays by David Greig and Dennis Kelly at the Hampstead theatre next spring.
Greig’s Dunsinane, set in 11th century Scotland, runs from 10 February until 6 March, while Kelly’s The Gods Weep, the tale of a CEO in crisis, follows from 11 March until 3 April.
Directed by former Paines Plough Artistic Director Roxana Silbert, Dunsinane takes place at the height of the fight for succession to the Scottish throne. Under cover of darkness an English army takes the seat of power, but the commanding officer now has to contain his men and the ambitions of his superiors while attempting to negotiate the unspoken rules of an unfamiliar country.
Greig’s previous plays for the RSC include The American Pilot and Victoria, while his other pieces include The Cosmonaut’s Last Message To The Woman He Once Loved In The Former Soviet Union and recent Edinburgh Festival hit Midsummer.
Maria Aberg, who previously directed Days Of Significance for the RSC, directs Kelly’s The Gods Weep, which follows Colm, the CEO of a global business he has spent a lifetime building. As he ages, Colm’s ability to make decisions begins to fail him and the world he has created begins to fracture. The power struggle that follows reveals the corruption and unstoppable forces at work in a world where corporate greed and national security frighteningly overlap.
Co-writer of BBC sitcom Pulling, Kelly’s award-winning plays Taking Care Of Baby and Osama The Hero have both previously been staged at the Hampstead theatre. His other work includes Love And Money, After The End and Debris.
Casting for both productions, which are the first confirmed pieces for the venue following Anthony Clark’s departure as the Hampstead theatre’s Artistic Director at the end of 2009, is yet to be announced.
MA