'THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN' at Royal Exchange

CELEBRATED CONTEMPORARY VERSION OF EARLIEST GREEK DRAMA REINVENTED IN MANCHESTER

Royal Exchange Theatre, Actors Touring Company and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh present

THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN

By Aeschylus in a new version by David Greig
Directed by Ramin Gray; Composer John Browne; Choreographer Sasha Milavic Davies

10 March - 1 April - The Theatre

Press Night: Tuesday 14 March, 7.30pm

THIS spring the Royal Exchange Theatre sees one of the world’s oldest dramas play out on its unique stage. THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN by Aeschylus, in a new version by the multi award-winning writer David Greig, is an extraordinary theatrical event featuring, at its heart, a chorus of forty women and men from across Greater Manchester arguing for their lives. Reimagined for the Exchange by director Ramin Gray (Artistic Director of the Actors Touring Company) this production has been beautifully reworked for this in-the-round space and, following its original critically-acclaimed production in 2016, is remade for and with the people of Greater Manchester.

Written 2,500 years ago THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN has startling resonance for 2017, reflecting major issues of contemporary society. Suppliant means ‘asylum seeker’ and the play explores issues of migration and democracy, gender politics and political power. The Royal Exchange Theatre, Actors Touring Company and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh 

 present 'THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN' from 10 March – 1 April.

A group of women leave everything behind to board a boat in North Africa and flee across the Mediterranean. They are escaping forced marriage in their homeland, hoping for protection and assistance, seeking asylum in Greece.

The forty-strong Chorus is a diverse mix of talented and passionate volunteers from across Greater Manchester who have been working with the company to create the power and energy of a Greek chorus. They perform alongside Oscar Batterham, Omar Ebrahim and Gemma May Rees.

The production features new music by composer John Browne who has used the ancient Greek instrument the aulos (likely to have been used in the original production 2,500 years ago) to create a beautiful and unique sound for the production, clashing ancient sounds with contemporary composition for a 2017 chorus and audience.