As the nights draw in, the Northern Lights will illuminate the Orange Tree stage.
This season has a Scandinavian flavour, featuring the work of two master playwrights and famous rivals, August Strindberg and Henrik Ibsen, reimagined by Howard Brenton, Tanika Gupta, and Richard Eyre. To mark this, our popular Lunchtime Plays will become weekly events throughout November, featuring plays from, or inspired by, Scandinavia. In keeping with Orange Tree tradition, Northern Lights features rediscovered classics, modern revivals, contemporary writing, and a specially commissioned new play.
We open the season with a double bill of comedies parodying some of Scandinavia’s theatrical and social stereotypes: J.M. Barrie’s Ibsen’s Ghost pokes affectionate fun at the scandals surrounding the Norwegian master, while Joakim Pirinen’s The Good Family takes a wry look at the modern-day idea of the perfect Scandinavian life. Next, contemporary plays from Sweden and Denmark, Night Passage by Astrid Menasanch Tobieson and Like Brothers by Alexander Maya Larsen, explore themes of migration and Nordic identity in the 21st Century. And closing the season, August Strindberg’s biting matrimonial drama The First Warning is paired with a specially commissioned new play: in Kirkenes, Sarah Sigal imagines life on Norway’s Arctic border with Russia.
Writing today, OT Literary Associate William Gregory says:
“We’re delighted to continue the Orange Tree’s tradition of showcasing international playwriting with this Nordic-inspired season, bringing together classic and contemporary plays from Scandinavia and beyond.”
Beginning in 1892 and ending in 2025, Northern Lights invites you to discover visions of Nordic life that will challenge, surprise, and entertain.
Tickets are now on sale, with every ticket priced at £15, though you can save £10 when you book for all four shows with a season pass.
