My Country - Britannia and Cymru

MY COUNTRY

Thu 15 - Sat 17 June 2017
Tickets £18 - £33*

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MY COUNTRY
in the words of people across the UK
and Carol Ann Duffy

In the days following the Brexit vote, a team from the National Theatre spoke to people nationwide, aged 9 to 97, to hear their views on the country we call home. In a series of deeply personal interviews, they heard opinions that were honest, emotional, funny, and sometimes extreme. My Country puts their words centre stage.

Britannia calls a meeting, to listen to her people. Caledonia, Cymru, East Midlands, North East, Northern Ireland and the South West bring the voices of their regions. The debate is passionate, stereotypes nailed and opinions divided. Can there ever be a United Kingdom?
 
These real testimonials are interwoven with speeches from party leaders of the time in this ground-breaking new play by Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate, and director Rufus Norris.

Pre-order a delicious deli box from celebrated local café, Aromi, to enjoy before the show! Click here for more information.

Discover more about the show
The Indepedent review: http://ind.pn/2mS6hRl

BBC Radio 4's documentary on the making of My Countryhttp://bbc.in/2mXIMao

My Country is a National Theatre production, created in collaboration with eight UK arts organisations in association with Cusack Projects Limited.

Post-show talks
Post-show talk with Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre and Pádraig Cusack, international theatre producer
Running Time

Approximately 80 minutes with no interval

Age Guidance

14+ (Contains strong language)

Tickets

Thursday - Saturday, 7.45pm: £18/£23/£28/£33*
Thursday 2.30pm: £18/£23/£28*

*All ticket prices include a £3 per-ticket booking fee

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Seema Bowri
Seema Bowri

Seema Bowri's work in theatre includes Lisa's Sex Strike for Northern Broadsides; Calcutta Kosher for Kali; Come Out Eli for Recorded Delivery; Idle Pop for Quicksilver; The Big Magic and Monkey in the Stars at Polka; A Suitcase Full of Stories for Tiebreak; Bollywood or Bust...Innit! and Don't Look at My Sister... & Arrange that Marriage...Innit! for One Nation Under a Groove; and Jungle Book for Kazzum.

TV includes The BillDoctorsCasualty and Coupling. Films include Forty Days of Mourning, The Divide and All About Me.

Radio includes Cooking by HeartTails You LoseFrom Bangalore With Love and Westway

Cavan Clarke
Cavan Clarke

Cavan Clarke trained at Rose Bruford. His work in theatre includes The Plough and the Stars at the National; Wendy and Peter Pan at the RSC; The Acedian Pirates at Theatre 503; Last of the Boys at Southwark Playhouse; Two Noble Kinsmen at the White Bear; The Cherry Orchard at the Young Vic; and East of the Sun, West of the Moon for Quarter Too Ensemble. Film includes Who Will Separate Us

Laura Elphinstone
Laura Elphinstone

Laura Elphinstone trained at Guildhall. Her work in theatre includes Jane EyrePains of Youth and Women of Troy at the National; The White Devil and The Crucible (also West End) for the RSC; Romeo and Juliet at the Rose, Kingston; Jane Eyre at Bristol Old Vic; Virgin and Heartbreak House at Watford Palace; Love and Information, If You Don't Let Us Dream We Won't Let You Sleep, 'Open Court' six-week rep company, Breathing Corpses and Country Music at the Royal Court; Utopia at the Soho and Live Theatre Newcastle; Chalet Lines at the Bush; Top Girls (also West End) and A Month in the Country at Chichester; Marine Parade at Brighton Festival; Bedroom Farce at West Yorkshire Playhouse; Far from the Madding Crowd for ETT; Glass Eels at Hampstead; Scenes from an Execution at Hackney Empire; Tom and Viv at the Almeida; Lysistrata at the Arcola; and Pictures of Clay at the Royal Exchange.

TV includes The Jury, Call the MidwifePeter PanEsio TrotThe Suspicions of Mr WhicherHolby CityDoctorsMy So Called Life Sentence and Tess of the D'Urbervilles.

Films include Leave to Remain and The History Boys.

Radio: Cloudy With a Chance of RainScribblersHome Front, Bretton WoodsThe Long CountCooking with StanleyHard Road and Interviews.

Adam Ewan
Adam Ewan

Adam Ewan trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His work in theatre includes African Gothic for Two Sheds; A Christian Turn'd Turk and The Honourable History of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay as part of Read Not Dead at Shakespeare's Globe; and Aladdin at Watford Palace.

TV includes FleabagThe HalcyonThe Living and the DeadQuacksMistressesKiss of DeathHe Kills CoppersThe Colour of Magic and Holby City.

Film includes The Death of StalinThe ChameleonPrideA Closed Book and Morris: A Life With Bells On.

Penny Layden
Penny Layden

Penny Layden's work in theatre includes Another World: Losing Our Children to Islamic StateEverymanAn Oak TreeEdward IITable and Timon of Athens at the National; The TempestRoberto Zucco and Measure for Measure for the RSC; The Lorax at the Old Vic; Beryl at West Yorkshire Playhouse; Sixty-Six Books at the Bush; Lidless at Trafalgar Studios; Vernon God Little and The Art of Random Whistling at the Young Vic; The BacchaeMary BartonElectra and Mayhem at the Royal Exchange; Dancing at Lughnasa at Birmingham Rep; Helen, Romeo and JulietHamlet and The Antipodes at Shakespeare's Globe; Assassins at Sheffield Crucible; Bright PhoenixSeason's Greetings and Popcorn at Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse; and A Passage to IndiaThe Magic Toyshop and Jane Eyre for Shared Experience.

TV includes GrantchesterDark AngelEastEnders, Call the MidwifePrisoners' WivesLand GirlsSirensSouth Riding, Silent WitnessPoppy ShakespeareThe BillThe Bad Mother's Handbook and Waterloo Road.

Film includes Broken and The Libertine.

Stuart McQuarrie
Stuart McQuarrie

Stuart McQuarrie trained at RSAMD. His work in theatre includes Ma Rainey's Black BottomHere We GoEmil and the DetectivesDetroitKing James Bible Readings, Happy Now?Scenes from the Big Picture and Ivanov at the National; The Taming of the Shrew for the RSC; In the Republic of HappinessDing Dong the WickedWanderlustRelocated and Cleansed at the Royal Court; Marble at the Abbey, Dublin; Realism for National Theatre of Scotland; The God of Hell, The Dark and The Life of Stuff at the Donmar Warehouse; The Government Inspector at the Almeida; Shining Souls at the Traverse and Old Vic; The Slab Boys at the Young Vic; and Clybourne Park in the West End.

TV includes HarlotsTennisonMaking Dad's ArmyDickensianVirtuosoThe Hollow Crown (series 2), BabylonThe FuseHustleLip ServiceAny Human HeartSilent WitnessExtrasPeep ShowWhistleblowersGhost SquadMarian AgainGolden HourNathan BarleyLife BeginsThe DealThe Way We Live NowFour Fathers, and Butterfly Collectors.

Films include DaphneA Man in the DarkTake DownMr TurnerBloodCloser to the MoonIsle of DogsBurke and HareAnother YearHushYoung Adam28 Days LaterThe HoneytrapThe Life of StuffTrainspotting and Love Me Tender.

Christian Patterson
Christian Patterson

Christian Patterson trained at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. His work in theatre includes The Secret Garden for the RSC; Blasted Blackbird and The Dying of Today at The Other Room; InsignificanceAll My SonsAristocratsRape of the Fair CountryGlengarry Glen RossAs You Like It, Home FrontThe MabinnogionPortrait of the Artist as a Young DogRosencrantzand Guildenstern are DeadUnder Milk Wood, Twelfth NightAfore Night Come and Blue Remembered Hills at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, where he is also an associate actor; Under Milk Wood on tour; Plays in a Bag – The Knowledge at the Royal Court; Pantos on Strike on tour; Journey's End for Lee Menzies/ACT; The Caucasian Chalk Circle for Shared Experience; Laurel and Hardy on tour; Harry Secombe in Goon Bandage – An Evening With Sir Harry Secombe for Talisein; Guys and Dolls at the Donmar Warehouse; Under Milk Wood at Lancaster Dukes; The Merchant of VeniceThe Gondoliers and The Water Babies at Chichester; Little Shop of HorrorsNeville's Island and The Woman in Black for Torch; Lady Macduff at Basingstoke Haymarket; Oyster Catchers at Sherman, Cardiff; Two Weeks With the Queen and Guys and Dolls at Leicester Haymarket; and Ying Tong – A Walk with the GoonsOliver! and Macbeth in the West End.

TV includes EllenHolby CityDoctorsMr SelfridgeKrod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of FireTreflanScoreBelongingCareGraftersOutside the Rules and The Magic Bottle.

Film includes Malice in WonderlandI Know You Know and Pride.

Radio includes SkomerMiddlewitchTwice Brightly and Shadow of the Sickle.

Carol Ann Duffy (Writer)
Rufus Norris (Director)
Katrina Lindsay (Designer)
Paul Knott (Lighting Designer)
David Shrubsole (Music)
Alex Caplen (Sound Designer)
Jeannette Nelson (Company Voice Work)
Rosemary McKenna (Staff Director)
Pádraig Cusack (Producer)

Gallery

  • My Country, Stuart McQuarrie (Caledonia) Penny Layden (Britania) by Sarah Lee
  • My Country, Laura Elphinstone (North East) by Sarah Lee
  • My Country, Stuart McQuarrie (Caledonia) Penny Layden (Britania) by Sarah Lee
  • My Country, Penny Layden (Britannia) by Sarah Lee
  • My Country, Seema Bowri (East Midlands) and Cavan Clarke (Northern Ireland) by Sarah Lee
  • My Country, Adam Ewan (South West) by Sarah Lee
  • 'Uncategorisable brilliance... it's a political intervention'

    THE INDEPENDENT
  • 'Penny Layden is brilliant...This work in progress is an excellent conversation starter'

    BritishTheatre.com
  • 'Compassionate, funny and insightful'

    WHATSONSTAGE
  • 'Lighthearted... very funny'

    The Reviews Hub
  • 'Excellent ensemble... engaging and energetic'

    Broadway World
  • 'Generous, open and engaging'

    Financial Times
  • 'Pacey and playful'

    The Telegraph