‘The world is falling apart’: Dominic Cooke plans boldly political first season at Almeida
Exclusive: London theatre’s new artistic director working with David Tennant and Caryl Churchill as he wrestles with Britain’s decline – and with smart glasses A spate of highly political plays will feature in one of north London’s most storied theatres next season, as its new artistic director says the world “is falling apart”. An exploration of Britain’s decline featuring David Tennant and a searing series of new…
Key points
- Dominic Cooke's first season as Almeida artistic director will feature political plays, including a revival of John Osborne's The Entertainer starring David Tennant.
- The season opens with Three and a Bit, short plays by 88-year-old Caryl Churchill.
- The Almeida will ban Meta's smart glasses, citing their invasive nature and difficulty to detect.
Dominic Cooke, the new artistic director of the Almeida theatre in north London, has announced a first season featuring highly political plays. Cooke said the world "is falling apart" and that not addressing this would be an abdication of responsibility.
The season includes a revival of John Osborne's The Entertainer, starring David Tennant, which Cooke described as an exploration of Britain's decline. It opens with Three and a Bit, a collection of short plays by Caryl Churchill.
Tennant and Churchill in focus
Cooke, who previously ran the Royal Court, said he has known Tennant since he was a drama student. He called the actor's work rigorous and intelligent, and said the play is being radically repositioned to speak to today's England.
Churchill, now 88, is "still as sharp as ever," Cooke said. Her plays address indifference to suffering that is not on one's doorstep.
The world is falling apart and to not talk about that would be an abdication of responsibility.
— Dominic Cooke
Smart glasses banned
The Almeida will join other theatres, cinemas and pubs in banning Meta's smart glasses. Cooke called them "ghastly" and invasive, especially for women, and said they are hard to notice and crack down on.
He added that theatres have the right to control phone use because people should decide whether they want to be filmed. Cooke also stressed the need to support young talent, noting that cuts to school drama programmes have reduced the pool of new directors.
