Theatre Royal Stratford East today announces its return to live work on stage with three new productions for February-May 2021:

THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE STARS - Artistic Director Nadia Fall directs emerging playwright Dipo Baruwa-Etti's new play about a young woman’s quest for justice following the racially-motivated murder of her twin brother.

AFTER THE END - The resilience of colleagues Mark and Louise is put to the test when they find themselves in a fallout shelter following a nuclear attack with only two weeks of supplies. Dennis Kelly's bitingly dark comedy is given a new production by Lyndsey Turner.

EXTINCT - A new play by April De Angelis that addresses the climate emergency and questions what drives activists to break the law in pursuit of their beliefs.

Theatre Royal Stratford East will be expanding its Learning & Participation work within the community in early 2021, with its first iteration engaging with two local partners to work with an elders’ group and local families.

Tickets for the season go on sale to access bookers and Theatre Royal Stratford East Members at noon on Wed 09 Dec, and on general sale at noon on Fri 11 Dec.

Speaking about her new season at Theatre Royal Stratford East, Artistic Director Nadia Fall said:

"Despite a challenging year, we found new and innovative ways to continue making work and to keep the connection with our audiences and local community alive. We have staged site-specific theatre in a basketball court, made films online and broadcast on Sky Arts, as well as platformed new writing as audio plays, all of this whilst the physical doors of the theatre had to remain closed. But what we’ve wanted most of all is to welcome people back into our building and to reignite our stage. Stratford East’s reopening season is designed to do what theatre does best; a live communal connection through story. The three plays capture our times and current psyche in very different ways, but none tiptoe gently, they boldly demand our attention. I hope they’ll be an invigorating tonic after months of isolation and separation.

We have eagerly been preparing our building for the return of artists and audiences, putting in place stringent cleaning regimes, seating plans and new routes through the theatre to ensure our staff and visitors remain safe. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the audiences, donors and funders who have helped us during this tumultuous period, including Telford Homes for their support in sponsoring our new season. We cannot wait to see you all soon."

Executive Director of Theatre Royal Stratford East, Eleanor Lang commented:

“We are delighted to be announcing an expanded offer to our local community with our Learning & Participation work. The team have worked throughout the pandemic to continue our work locally – either online, or where possible live. We have been working with schools to identify how best to work with them while they face their own challenges, and we are proud to be launching our new digital resource packs. Our Young Company, youth theatre and junior youth theatre continue to thrive, and we launch new projects with community partners in the New Year.

Our industry continues to face substantial financial challenges, particularly given that opening with social distancing is financially unsustainable and has only been possible with the support of the Cultural Recovery Fund. However, we feel it vital that theatres, where possible, continue to make work, to engage with audiences and to be able to offer work to freelancers, who have been particularly impacted by the pandemic. We are committed to keeping our ticket prices accessible, and we have ensured that for this season over half of tickets on sale are £20 or less."

The reopening of Theatre Royal Stratford East is generously sponsored by Telford Homes.