Chief Executive Jo Gordon Artistic Director James Dacre

Patron The Rt Hon Earl Spencer

PRESS RELEASE Royal & Derngate announces world premiere of The Pope by Anthony McCarten as part of Made in Northampton 2019 season IMAGES CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE

• World premiere of The Pope by 2019 Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning and 2019 Oscar- nominated writer Anthony McCarten to open in Northampton in June

• Anton Lesser returns to the stage for the first time in a decade to play Pope Benedict

• Original music by BRIT, Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer Anne Dudley

• @RoyalDerngate / #MadeInNorthampton / @AnthologyTheatr / #ThePopePlay

A Royal & Derngate, Northampton co-production with Anthology Theatre in association with Tara Finney Productions

Saturday 8 to Saturday 22 June 2019 Press Night: Wednesday 12 June 7pm

Royal & Derngate Northampton has announced that Artistic Director James Dacre will direct the world premiere of The Pope this June as part of its Made in Northampton 2019 season. This new play from Anthony McCarten, the 2019 Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning, and 2019 Oscar‑nominated writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, The Theory Of Everything and Darkest Hour, will star Anton Lesser (Game Of Thrones, The Crown, Wolf Hall) as Pope Benedict and will feature original music composed by BRIT, Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Anne Dudley (Elle, American History X, , Poldark).

This original play is the inspiration for a major motion picture of the same name that has been adapted by Anthony McCarten to premiere on Netflix later this year. Now based in London, The Pope marks his UK stage debut, although in his home country of , his acclaimed plays include Ladies Night, which remains New Zealand’s most commercial popular play.

The production will be designed by 2018 Tony nominee Jonathan Fensom (Our Lady of Kibeho, Farinelli and the King) with lighting design by Charles Balfour (Mojo, West End, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, National Theatre) and is co-produced by Anthology Theatre (The Entertainer, The Wipers Times and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof) in association with Tara Finney Productions.

Six years ago Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world by quietly announcing he would resign, the first pope in 700 years to do so. What drove this arch-conservative to break with sacred tradition and cede the way

Chief Executive Jo Gordon Artistic Director James Dacre

Patron The Rt Hon Earl Spencer

for Cardinal Bergoglio – a tango-dancing, football-loving reformer with the common touch - to become , one of most powerful men on earth?

Together, Pope Benedict and Cardinal Bergoglio grapple with their complex pasts and uncertain futures. From coming of age under dictatorships in Germany and Argentina, to the scandal of sexual abuse by the clergy – they offer two opposing visions for the Church today. Shining a light into one of the world’s most secretive institutions, The Pope is at once a candid portrayal of two men testing the limits of their faith and an exploration of the role of religion in an age of social and political upheaval. At its heart lies a timeless question: in moments of crisis, should we follow the rules or our conscience?

Further Made in Northampton 2019 productions will be announced shortly.

Made in Northampton is sponsored locally by Michael Jones Jeweller.

For more information about any of these productions, visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk. Shows can be booked online or by calling Box Office on 01604 624811.

ENDS For more information, images, interviews and press tickets please contact Amanda Howson on 01604 655719 or email [email protected].

Notes to editors:

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Royal & Derngate, Guildhall Road, Northampton NN1 1DP Press Night: Wednesday 12 June at 7pm Dates: Saturday 8 – Saturday 22 June 2019 Times: Evenings 7.45pm (except Wednesday 12 June 7pm) Matinees – Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm (excl. Saturday 8 June) No performances on Sundays or on Monday 17 June Tickets: From £11* Box Office: 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk

* A charge of £3 applies for all transactions of £15 and over. Does not apply to Groups, Friends or Disabled Patrons, and is per- transaction, not per-ticket.

Chief Executive Jo Gordon Artistic Director James Dacre

Patron The Rt Hon Earl Spencer

Notes to editors:

Creative team: Playwright Anthony McCarten Composer Anne Dudley Director James Dacre Designer Jonathan Fensom Lighting Designer Charles Balfour Casting Directors Annelie Powell CDG & Stuart Burt CDG

Cast: Pope Benedict XVI Anton Lesser Further cast to be announced

Anthony McCarten

A double Academy Award-nominated and double BAFTA -winning screenwriter and film producer of the films The Theory Of Everything (2014) and Darkest Hour (2017), as well as the writer of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), winner of 4 Oscars and the Golden Globe for Best Drama, becoming the most successful straight drama film of all time, New Zealand-born Anthony McCarten is also a celebrated novelist and playwright. Beginning his career as a playwright, he received early international success with his play Ladies Night, a global hit which remains New Zealand’s most commercially successful play of all time. The Pope marks his return to writing for the stage for the first time in 20 years. In 2015 he was inducted as a Literary Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Authors. He lives in London.