Leading director Thea Sharrock makes her Almeida debut later this year when she revives Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine at the Islington venue. The new production, which features designs by Peter McKintosh, lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Gregory Clarke, opens on 31 October, following previews from 25 October, and runs until 8 December.
Cloud Nine is a play about relationships set both in colonial Africa and modern-day Britain, and explores themes of sex, work, mothers, Africa, power, children, grandmothers, politics, money and Queen Victoria. It was first performed in 1979 at the Royal Court, where it was due to be revived as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations last year. That revival had to be postponed due to Churchill concentrating on her new play Drunk Enough To Say I Love You, which opened at the Royal Court in November 2006.
Churchill is widely considered to be among the world's leading playwrights and has both Evening Standard and Laurence Olivier Awards to her name. Her many plays include Top Girls, A Number, Serious Money and A Dream Play.
Thea Sharrock has enjoyed much recent West End success. The former Artistic Director of both the Southwark Playhouse and the Gate directed the high profile production of Equus, which starred Daniel Radcliffe, earlier this year, and saw her production of A Voyage Round My Father transfer from the Donmar Warehouse to the Wyndham's. In August, Sharrock directs a production of The Emperor Jones, which was first staged at the Gate, at the National Theatre.
Cloud Nine is the second production of the Almeida's autumn season, sandwiched between the Michael Attenborough-directed Awake And Sing! and the Almeida's first family show Marianne Dreams.
MA