No Way Out (Huis Clos)
by Jean-Paul Sartre
English version by Frank Hauser

August 18th 2009 - September 12th 2009

Show starts: 7.30pm


Three strangers. Trapped in a disused bar. No food. No drink. No end… No way out

A man is taken to an empty room. He is joined by two women. Nothing can prepare them for what lies in store. There are no windows or doors – only the faint pulse of distant tango music…

Fuelled by desire, jealousy and fear, the three captives make uneasy and shifting alliances, using their memories and their sexuality as weapons of power and torment.

Grounded in the blood and sweat of Argentina’s brutal Dirty War, director Luke Kernaghan unites a dynamic group of artists and performers to create a bold and breath-taking new look at a beloved classic, intertwined with choreography from Kele Baker(Argentine Tango choreographer for BBC's Strictly Come Dancing).".

Jean-Paul Sartre’s violent and unflinching study of cruelty and death is brought vividly to life through a sensual and erotic blend of text, music and movement. Driven by the energy and passion of Argentine Tango, this visceral production grasps you by the hand and leads you through a dangerous yet seductive underworld.

“They are neither dead nor alive. They disappeared” - Jorge Videla, President of Argentina 1976-81

Reviews from previous productions:

“Strong stage images and powerful performances…highly recommended”
The Stage on The B File, directed by Luke Kernaghan

“Luke Kernaghan deserves much credit for producing an almost unparalleled example of theatrical excellence”
What’s On In London on the David Glass Ensemble’s
Gormenghast

“A very good production…superbly acted, intelligently directed”
The Stage on The Rover, directed by Luke Kernaghan

Write to Play...
An evening with Philip Ridley

September 20th 2009

Show starts: 8pm
Running time: TBC

In The Same Boat presents Write to Play with Philip Ridley. Listen to Philip be interviewed about his life and work; volunteer to participate in reading from a play of his choice; watch Philip perform some new poems; be the first to see a new short Ridley play, and join us in discussion with Philip about his themes, styles and methods of writing.

Born in London’s East End, Philip Ridley studied painting at St Martin’s School of Art. His first stage play, The Pitchfork Disney, caused a sensation when it premiered at the Bush Theatre in 1991 and is now generally regarded as the work that kick started the whole ‘in-yer-face’ writing revolution. Prophetic and controversial in equal measure (Faber and Faber, his long term publishers, notoriously refused to publish his play Mercury Fur), Ridley has one of the most distinctive signature styles in contemporary theatre; a mesmeric mixture of the magical and the menacing, celebrating the world around us in all its beauty and barbarism. Despite his breathtaking range of talents - he is a poet, children’s novelist, short story writer, stage director, photographer, playwright, painter, lyricist, screenwriter, librettist, film director - Ridley has always described himself with the single word: ‘Storyteller’.

Blood Wedding
by Federico Garcia Lorca

July 21st 2009 - August 15th 2009

Show starts: 7.30pm (Saturday matinee 3.00pm)
Running time: 90 mins

Welcome to the wedding!
Food & drink. Song & dance.
Join us for a night of revelry & celebration.

Here are bride and groom preparing for the ceremony. Here are their families, the wedding feast, the decorations. Here is Leonardo, the man they say the bride really loves.

Metta Theatre's striking and immersive new production of Blood Wedding puts you [the audience] at the heart of the action. You become the guests at the ill-fated wedding feast, and witnesses of the tragedy that follows.

This is a sweaty, colourful, raucous world, but death lurks in the shadows. Before the night is over there will be heartbreak, bloodshed and tragedy. A secret waits to be discovered...

The cast includes Jade Anouka (A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant Of Venice, The Taming Of The Shrew, RSC) as the bride, Marlon G Day (The Fallen, Channel Four) as Leonardo, Amanda Poesner (Bad Girls - The Musical, Garrick Theatre; Caroline or Change, National Theatre) as his wife, Sophie Benjamin (Citizenship, National Theatre; Gone Too Far, Royal Court) as the sister, Trevor Michael Georges (Carmen Jones, Old Vic; Once On This Island, Young Vic) as the father, Naomi Wirthner (Splash Match On The E Going Down, Donmar Warehouse; Fair Ladies At A Game Of Poem Cards, National Theatre) as the mother and Tai Lawrence as the groom.

"A simple, intelligent production...subtle, elegant...genuinely moving."
The Stage on Metta's Hidden Light