THEATRE THE ball’s
IN YOUR Court
The Royal Court’s new artistic director, Vicky Featherstone, is handing the theatre over to more than 140 writers for a month this summer. The Open Court season will see new plays, schoolchildren and celebrities all gracing the famous stage, she tells Catherine Usher
W Vicky Featherstone
HEN YOU THINK of summer festivals, the first image that springs to mind is likely to be navigating a muddy field in wellies.
But this summer, the Royal Court is hosting a festival of a more sophisticated – but no less adventurous – variety. With new artistic director Vicky Featherstone at the helm, the Open Court season sees the theatre “handing over its keys” to a group of more than 140 writers, who have suggested and created a collection of plays and events that will run from June 10 to July 20. Featuring ideas ranging from creating a weekly repertory to hosting a VIP Q&A session led by children, Featherstone sees the season as a “blank canvas” and an opportunity to launch her tenure at the venue in an expressive, light-hearted manner. Describing her motivation for giving the writers such free rein, Featherstone laughs and says, “Insanity?”
She explains: “When I got the job last year, Dominic [Cooke] said to me that his programme was going to
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