Julie Hesmondhalgh in 'WIT' at Royal Exchange

MIND OVER MATTER?

JULIE HESMONDHALGH IN PULITZER PRIZE WINNER WIT

 

The Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre present

'WIT'

By Margaret Edson

Director Raz Shaw

Designer Hannah Clark

 

Thursday 21 January – Saturday 13 February - The Theatre

PRESS NIGHT: Tuesday 26 January 2016, 7.30pm

 

Rarely performed in the UK Margaret Edson’s powerful Pulitzer Prize winning play WIT comes to the Royal Exchange Theatre in January.  Returning to the Exchange award-winning actor Julie Hesmondhalgh takes on the lead role of the brilliant Vivian Bearing, an exacting English Professor of outstanding merit. Directed by Raz Shaw this arresting and uplifting play asks what aspects of our lives make life truly worth living?  An elegant exploration of humanity, Edson’s sharply funny play explores the fragility of life and the power of redemption. WIT will be performed in the Theatre from 21 January – 13 February.

 

When Vivian Bearing, a demanding Professor of metaphysical poetry, an expert in the complex Holy Sonnets of John Donne, is diagnosed with a hard-hitting form of cancer she is determined to stay in control.  Approaching this aggressive illness with the same painstaking rationalism with which she has conducted her career she becomes caught between metaphysics, medicine and her own mettle. Accepting of a new and experimental treatment Vivian is drawn to the discipline of medical research, but as the cancer takes an unbreakable hold Vivian begins to realise that it is never too late for kindness, compassion and grace.

 

Julie Hesmondhalgh who returns to the Exchange said ‘At its most simple Wit is about life, love, sickness and death, something we can all relate to. But it’s so much more intricate than that, it is a beautiful play that is full of grace and redemption’

 

JULIE HESMONDHALGH has previously performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Simon Stephens’ BLINDSIDED and BLACK ROSES: THE KILLING OF SOPHIE LANCASTER (for which she won a Manchester Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Studio Production), the BRUNTWOOD PRIZE CEREMONY 2015 and MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.  Television credits include: CORONATION STREET (series regular from 1997-2012, for which she won National TV Award for Best Performance in a Continuing Drama and Best Actress & Best Screen Partnership at Soap Awards and Royal Television Award for Best Performance in a Soap), CUCUMBER/BANANA/TOFU (Channel 4/Red Productions), BLACK ROSES: THE KILLING OF SOPHIE LANCASTER (BBC Learning/BBC4: RTS Award for Best Female Performance 2015). Julie is a member of The Gap collective and a founder of Take Back Theatre, Manchester.

 

Raz Shaw’s directing credits include THE GOD OF SOHO, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and ROMEO AND JULIET (Shakespeare’s Globe), ALL’S WILL THAT ENDS WILL (Bremer Shakespeare Company), CYMBELINE (South Sudan National Theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe), JENNY FAWCETT (Soho Theatre/Pleasance),EDGAR AND ANNABEL (AracaWorks Festival NYC), TERRA NOVA (Old Laundry Theatre), GAMBLING (Royal Court Rough Cuts and Soho Theatre). In 2006 he won the Jerwood Award at The Young Vic. He is currently developing a new musical – JOYBUBBLES - with Carl Grose and Alex Silverman. 

 

Jenny Platt, former Coronation Street regular, takes on the role of nurse Susie Monahan, smart and intuitively benevolent, Susie helps to unlock Vivian’s ability to find peace with herself. The cast is completed by Esh Alladi, Niki Angus Campbell, Okorie Chukwu, Tom Hodgkins, Haruka Kuroda and Julie Legrand.

 

The creative team includes Designer Hannah Clark who returns following her designs for THE CRACKS IN MY SKIN and WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, Lighting Designer Jack Knowles and Sound Designer Mark Melville.

 

The Royal Exchange

The Royal Exchange Theatre is a leading producing theatre situated in the heart of Manchester. We showcase an ambitious programme inspired by the world’s greatest stories: stories that have the power to change the way we see the world. To us, that means taking artistic risks, working as part of exciting partnerships, championing new talent and seeking out bold collaborations. A record number of people have experienced our work in the last year, and we’re continuing to broaden our output on and off our stages to speak to the most diverse audiences in Manchester and beyond. 

 

Our Spring/Summer 2016 season includes the co-production with the National Theatre HUSBANDS & SONS,  adapted from the trilogy of dramas by DH Lawrence, and directed by Marianne Elliott; KING LEAR, a co-production with Talawa Theatre Company; THE NIGHT WATCH a new adaptation of Sarah Waters’ novel by Hattie Naylor; Howard Jacobson’s THE MIGHTY WALZER adapted by Simon Bent and Katherine Chandler’s BIRD, a 2013 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting winner; LITTLE SISTER created in collaboration with Mark Storor and NOTHING an adaption of Janne Teller’s novel by Amanda Dalton.  

Julie Hesmondhalgh
Other theatre work includes: GOD BLESS THE CHILD (Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs), BRIDGING THE GAP (The Gap Theatre at Halle St Peters), OUTINGS (The Lowry Quays) and THESE I LOVE (her own play performed at Gullivers), THE PLAY WHAT I WROTE (David Pugh Ltd); THE LIZZIE PLAY (Arts Threshold/Jackson’s Lane Community Theatre/Theatre Clwyd Studio/National Tour); WONDERLAND (RNCM). Television credits include: CORONATION STREET (series regular from 1997-2012, for which she won National TV Award for Best Performance in a Continuing Drama and Best Actress & Best Screen Partnership at Soap Awards and Royal Television Award for Best Performance in a Soap), CUCUMBER/BANANA/TOFU (Channel 4/Red Productions), BLACK ROSES: THE KILLING OF SOPHIE LANCASTER (BBC Learning/BBC4: RTS Award for Best Female Performance 2015), MOVING ON:TAXI FOR LINDA (BBC/ LA Productions), HAPPY VALLEY 2 (BBC1/Red), INSIDE NO 9: LA COUCHETTE (BBC);  DALZIEL AND PASCOE, THE BILL, PAT AND MARGARET and CATHERINE COOKSON’S ‘THE DWELLING PLACE’. Film credits include: CLOSETS (LEM Productions) Radio credits include: ZOLA BLOOD AND SEX (DRINK), FAT LITTLE THING, DEADHEADING, DEAD CLEVER, CLEANING UP, QUEENS OF THE COAL AGE, ALAN AND JEAN'S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, PICK OF THE WEEK (all for BBC RADIO 4) and Torchbearers (BBC Radio 3).

 

Raz Shaw

Other theatre credits include TORN (The Arcola), THINGS OF DRY HOURS  (The Gate and The Royal Exchange), OTHELLO (Salisbury Playhouse), THE GLASS MENAGERIE PROJECT (Jerwood & Young Vic), FACTORY GIRLS (The Arcola), WOMAN IN MIND (Salisbury Playhouse), A STATE OF INNOCENCE/PHOTOS OF RELIGION (Theatre 503), BE MY BABY (Salisbury Playhouse) ,THE TRESTLE AT POPE LICK CREEK (Southwark Playhouse and The Royal Exchange), WE’RE GONNA B***ER YOU (BAC and the Pleasance Edinburgh), THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE (Brentwood Theatre), BELLY (Old Red Lion), 5:01 (Unity Theatre). Two years ago he started writing his first book, DEATH AND THE ELEPHANT: HOW CANCER SAVED MY LIFE which is about his experiences as a 28 year old with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1995 and reflections on the illness since being given the all clear in 1996. He also has just made the first of what he hopes will be a series of podcasts called Cancer Talk which takes a heartfelt but irreverent look at all things Cancer.