PRESS RELEASE: FRANTIC ASSEMBLY ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2022 AND BEYOND

[Jan McNulty]

PRESS RELEASE

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FRANTIC ASSEMBLY ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2022 AND BEYOND INCLUDING:

 

• A NEW UK TOUR OF FRANTIC ASSEMBLY’S ACCLAIMED ADAPTATION OF OTHELLO, CO-PRODUCED WITH CURVE, FROM 19 SEPTEMBER 2022.
   
• KAFKA’S METAMORPHOSIS WILL BE BOLDLY REIMAGINED IN A MAJOR NEW PRODUCTION DIRECTED BY SCOTT GRAHAM TO TOUR FROM AUTUMN 2023.
   
• THE LAUNCH OF ‘FRANTIC ASSEMBLY STUDIO’, A GROUNDBREAKING NEW DIGITAL RESOURCE PLATFORM FOR SCHOOLS, AVAILABLE FROM SEPTEMBER 2022.

                                          

 

Frantic Assembly has announced plans for the new year and beyond including an autumn UK tour for their landmark production of Othello revisited for 2022 and more relevant than ever, a thrilling new take on Kafka’s Metamorphosis to open in 2023, and the launch of Frantic Assembly STUDIO, an innovative new digital resource platform for teaching drama in secondary schools. 

 

A Frantic Assembly Production, co-produced with Curve
Originally a Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth collaboration, in association with Royal & Derngate Northampton and developed at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London.

 

Shakespeare’s
OTHELLO

This autumn, Frantic Assembly will tour its award-winning and electrifying take on Shakespeare’s tragedy of paranoia, sex and murder.  As relevant today as it ever was, Othello exposes the tension, fear and paranoia buried beneath the veneer of our relationships and how easily that can be maliciously exploited.

 

Frantic Assembly takes Shakespeare’s muscular and beautiful text, combines its own bruising physicality, and presents an Othello firmly rooted in a volatile 21st century.

Directed by Frantic Assembly’s artistic director and co-founder Scott Graham and designed by Laura Hopkins, this is a world of broken glass and broken promises, of poisonous manipulation and explosive violence.  Othello’s passionate affair with Desdemona becomes the catalyst for jealousy, betrayal, revenge and the darkest intents.

Originally presented to great acclaim in 2008 and 2014, this updated version in co-production with Curve Theatre Leicester, will tour the UK from autumn onwards.  Kicking off at Curve Leicester from 19 September, it will visit Liverpool Playhouse, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal York, Yvonne Arnaud Guildford, Oxford Playhouse, The Lowry Salford Quays, MAST Mayflower Studios Southampton and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre London.

 

Othello is directed by Scott Graham, designed by Laura Hopkins, with lighting design by Natasha Chivers, sound design by Gareth Fry, music by Hybrid and casting by Will Burton CDG.

 

Kafka’s
METAMORPHOSIS

Frantic Assembly takes this iconic novella, with all its twisted physicality and heartbreaking family dynamic and promises a thrilling, powerhouse re-telling. Exploring the devastation of waking to find yourself, in the eyes of others, hideously transformed, Metamorphosis is both timely and timeless. Directed by Scott Graham, Metamorphosis is a co-production with Theatre Royal Plymouth, Curve Theatre Leicester, MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London and will tour the UK in Autumn 2023.  More details to be announced soon.

 

FRANTIC ASSEMBLY STUDIO

Launching with schools in September 2022, Frantic Assembly STUDIO is a brand-new online subscription platform designed to support teachers and students in the study of contemporary theatre-making and, in particular, the Frantic Method, Frantic Assembly’s celebrated approach to collaborative and physical theatre making. 

 

A new aspect to support their enduring commitment to training and education, Frantic Assembly STUDIO will house extensive filmed and written resources including workshop formats, warm-up exercises, creative tools and exercises, masterclasses and interviews with leading practitioners and creative artists. With Frantic Assembly currently studied as a leading contemporary theatre practitioner on five UK and international academic syllabi, this will be a vital resource for teachers and students exploring the devising process. Frantic Assembly has been liberating the potential of future theatre makers for over 25 years, and now Frantic Assembly STUDIO will provide even greater insight and understanding of the many roles within the industry. 

 

Scott Graham, co-founder and Artistic Director says: “The Frantic Assembly STUDIO is a really exciting opportunity to bring the drama studio and the realities of the professional rehearsal room closer together. It is vital that our worlds stay relevant to each other and can continue to inspire each other. As well as providing an unparalleled insight into the Frantic Method, I want to give teachers access to the convictions and doubts in the minds of contemporary theatre makers. This is all a crucial part of the creative process, and it is seldom shared. Our ambition is that Frantic Assembly STUDIO encourages and empowers creativity for both teachers and students.”

 

Frantic Assembly STUDIO will launch in the UK in summer 2022, ready for the start of the academic year in September.  Schools can find out more and register their interest to subscribe at www.franticassembly.co.uk.

 

Frantic Assembly STUDIO is supported by the Garfield Weston Cultural Fund.

ENDS

 

 

LISTINGS

OTHELLO
A Frantic Assembly Production, co-produced with Curve.
Originally a Frantic Assembly and Theatre Royal Plymouth collaboration, in association with Royal & Derngate Northampton and developed at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London.

Creative Team
Director                                             Scott Graham
Designer                                            Laura Hopkins
Lighting Designer                             Natasha Chivers
Sound Designer                                 Gareth Fry
Music                                                 Hybrid
Casting                                              Will Burton CDG

 

Tour dates
19th September – 1st October             Curve Leicester Studio
4th October – 8th October                   Liverpool Playhouse
11th October – 15th October               Theatre Royal Plymouth
18th October – 22nd October              Theatre Royal, York
1st November – 5th November           Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford
8th November – 12th November        Oxford Playhouse
15th November – 19th November      The Lowry, Salford Quays
22nd November – 26th November      MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton
19th January 2023 – 11th February   Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London

 

www.franticassembly.co.uk
@franticassembly

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

FRANTIC ASSEMBLY
Award winning theatre company Frantic Assembly’s method of devising theatre has been impacting theatrical practice and unlocking the creative potential of future theatre-makers for over 25 years. One of the most exciting theatre companies in the UK, Frantic Assembly is led by Artistic Director and co-founder Scott Graham. It has toured extensively across Great Britain and worked in more than 40 countries internationally, collaborating with some of today’s most inspiring artists. 

 

Frantic Assembly is currently studied as leading contemporary theatre practitioners on five British and international academic syllabuses. The success of the company’s distinct approach has influenced contemporary theatre-making and foregrounded the use of movement directors and choreographers in new dramatic works. With a history of commissioning writers such as Simon Stephens, Abi Morgan, Bryony Lavery, Anna Jordan and Mark Ravenhill, the company has been acclaimed for its collaborative approach.

 

Frantic Assembly’s flagship initiative Ignition, a free nationwide talent development programme for young people aged 16-24, seeks out under-represented talent and provides opportunities to discover what is possible, increasing involvement in and access to the arts in places of low cultural engagement. 

 

Frantic Assembly productions include I Think We Are Alone (UK Tour), The Unreturning (UK Tour), Fatherland (Manchester International Festival 2017 and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre 2018), Things I Know To Be True (UK and Australia), Othello (UK), Beautiful Burnout (UK, Australia, New Zealand and New York), Lovesong (UK and Australia) and The Believers. They are also the Movement Directors on the award-winning National Theatre of Great Britain, production The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (West End, Broadway, UK & International Tours). Television credits include Movement Direction on BAFTA winning British - American series Humans (AMC, Channel 4 & Kudos). 

 

Frantic Assembly is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England
www.franticassembly.co.uk