Roots
By Arnold Wesker, Directed by Diyan Zora
Event details
Tue 10 Sep - Sat 23 Nov 2024
What’ve you done since you come in? Hev you said anythin’? I mean really said or done anything to show you’re alive?
Beatie Bryant returns to her rural home in Norfolk, inflamed with political zeal from her time spent living in London. As the family anxiously prepares for the arrival of her firebrand activist boyfriend Ronnie, Beatie struggles to fit back into her old way of life.
As Beatie’s radical new ideals fail to land with her traditional family, the differences between young and old are laid bare.
Diyan Zora (Tom Fool; English) directs a new production of Arnold Wesker’s lyrical, impassioned play about a young woman’s journey to self-discovery which, together with John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, changed British theatre forever. The mirror they held up to 1950s society is now angled towards 2024, with the two plays running alongside each other in repertory for 11 weeks, as part of the Almeida’s Angry and Young season.
Evenings 7.30pm
Matinees 2pm
Access Performances
Book our access performances by calling Box Office on 020 7359 4404 or email boxoffice@almeida.co.uk.
Audio Described Sat 23 Nov 2pm (Touch Tour 12pm)
Captioned Fri 15 Nov 7.30pm
Relaxed Environment Wed 30 Oct 2pm & Wed 6 Nov 7.30pm
Content Warnings Read more about our production guidance and warnings>
Introducing the play
Find out more about this lyrical, impassioned play from Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold, as he introduces our Angry and Young repertory season.
Cast & Creatives
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Cast
Morfydd Clark
Iwan Davies
Billy Howle
Ellora Torchia
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Creatives
Arnold Wesker
Writer
Diyan Zora
Director
Naomi Dawson
Set Designer
Tomás Palmer
Costume Designer
Lee CurranLee Curran
Lighting Designer
Lee Curran
For the Almeida: A Streetcar Named Desire (also West End); Summer and Smoke (also West End); Dance Nation.
Theatre includes: Constellations (West End/ Broadway/ Royal Court); Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre/ US Tour/ Barbican); Henry V, Berberian Sound Studio (Donmar Warehouse); The Welkin; Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear – The Musical!; Protest Song (National Theatre); Britannicus (Lyric Hammersmith); The Song Project; Gundog; Road; Nuclear War; a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun); X; Linda (Royal Court); The Glass Menagerie; West Side Story (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester); Nora: A Doll’s House (Young Vic/ Citizens Theatre); The Two Character Play (Hampstead Theatre); The Son (Kiln Theatre/ West End); Harm (Bush Theatre); Burgerz (Hackney Showroom); Imogen (Shakespeare’s Globe); Doctor Faustus; Love’s Sacrifice (RSC); The Weir; A Streetcar Named Desire (ETT); A Number (Nuffield Southampton Theatres/ Young Vic).
Dance includes: We Are As Gods (James Cousins Company); Enowate (Dickson Mbi Company); Clorinda Agonistes (Shobana Jeyasingh Dance); Opus 131 (Russell Maliphant Dance Company); Blak Whyte Gray (Blue Boy Entertainment); Clowns; Sun; Political Mother; In Your Rooms; Uprising (Hofesh Shechter Company); Don Quixote (Royal Danish Ballet); Untouchable (Royal Ballet); Grey Matter; Tomorrow; Frames (Rambert).
Opera includes: Orphée et Eurydice (Royal Opera House/ Teatro alla Scala); Fidelio; Nothing (Royal Danish Opera); Tosca (Opera North); Phaedra (Royal Opera House).
George Dennis
Sound Designer
Chris Evans
Movement Director
Yarit Dor
Fight & Intimacy Director
Amy BallAmy Ball
Casting Director
Amy Ball
For the Almeida: Cold War; Portia Coughlan; Women, Beware the Devil; “Daddy” A Melodrama; Albion; The Hunt; Shipwreck; Dance Nation; Boy.
Theatre includes: Hamnet (RSC); Lyonesse; The Hills of California; Jerusalem; Leopoldstadt; Uncle Vanya; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf; The Night of Iguana; Rosmersholm; True West; The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?; The Pillowman (West End); The Son (Kiln Theatre/ West End); Sweat (Donmar Warehouse/ West End); The Ferryman (Royal Court/ Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre/ West End); The Moderate Soprano (Hampstead Theatre/ West End); The Birthday Party; Consent (National Theatre/ West End); Hangmen (Royal Court/ West End/ Atlantic Theater Company); Berberian Sound Studio (Donmar Warehouse); Stories; Exit the King (National Theatre); White Noise; A Very Very Very Dark Matter (Bridge Theatre); The Brothers Size (Young Vic); Maryland; ear for eye; Girls & Boys; Cyprus Avenue (Royal Court).
Sabia Smith
Costume Supervisor
Edda Sharpe
Dialect Coach
Tian Brown-Sampson
Assistant Director
ANGRY AND YOUNG Season
Roots is presented in rep with Look Back in Anger by John Osborne as part of our Angry and Young Season.
Concessions
All concession tickets are limited and subject to availability. Proof of eligibility is required. More info
Deaf and disabled patrons and a companion can buy discounted tickets by calling the Box Office on 020 7359 4404 or email boxoffice@almeida.co.uk.
£5 tickets will be available to those aged 25 and under for performances from Tue 10 – Sat 28 Sep. Enter code 25UNDER when selecting your seats. Tickets go on sale at 5pm on Tue 20 Aug. More info
If you are aged 30 or under, over 65 or are unemployed you can book tickets at a discounted rate. Not applicable on Fri or Sat evenings.
If you live or work in the Islington area you can book best available seats for £25 for performances from Tue 10 – Mon 30 Sep, subject to availability. Enter promo code ISFIRST when selecting your seats. Find applicable postcodes here.
Access Performances
Audio Described Sat 23 Nov 2pm (Touch Tour 12pm)
Captioned Fri 15 Nov 7.30pm
Relaxed Environment Wed 30 Oct 2pm & Wed 6 Nov 7.30pm
For full information about how to book for our access performances please visit our Access For All Page.
Talks & Events
Talkback
After Thu 7 Nov performance
A post-show talk with members of the company. Free to same-day ticket holders.
Almeida For Free
Thu 14 Nov 7.30pm
A free performance for those aged 25 and under. Sign up to our emails for Tickets & Events for 16-25s to be notified when tickets are available.
