Box office: 020 7978 7040

Theatre503 presents

Out of Sorts

Written by Danusia Samal
Directed by Tanuja Amarasuriya
Book Now

Zara has spent her adult life being two different people. The good Muslim daughter, all set to marry the man her family approve of and a free-spirited British millennial, who parties as hard as she works. Over one dramatic weekend, the lies she’s been telling to keep these two worlds apart begin to unravel and she is forced to confront her real identity.

Out of Sorts was the winner of the International Playwriting Award 2018, selected out of 2,055 scripts sent in from 49 countries. After several rounds of reading Danusia’s play was chosen by an industry panel chaired by 503’s Chair and Deputy Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Erica Whyman. The panel included journalist Lyn Gardner; Audible’s Commissioning Producer for Theatre Abigail Gonda; playwrights Stephen Beresford, Alice Birch, Chinonyerem Odimba and Roy Williams.

TAILORED PERFORMANCES:  23 October 12noon, Parent and Baby; 23 October 7.30pm, Relaxed & Captioned

PARENT & BABY: Similar to our Relaxed Performance in terms of technical alterations, but provided as an opportunity for parents and/or guardians to enjoy a spot of theatre without the need to hire a babysitter. Please note, we do not exclude other audience members from booking to see this performance.

RELAXED: For anyone who benefits from a more relaxed performance environment. House lights are left up with audience free to exit and reenter as required. Sound levels are reduced and any strobe / ‘flashing light’ effects will be omitted also.

CAPTIONED: We’re offering captioning to mobile phones via the Difference Engine app, from Talking Birds. Download the free app from the App Store or Google Play, or find more info via the Difference Engine website.

(Trailer filmed and created by Ben Hewis)

Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes, including interval.

Danusia Samal

Danusia Samal is an actress, writer and singer from London who spent part of her childhood in the Middle East. She has various stage credits at the Royal Court, RSC, Globe Theatre, SOHO, Sheffield Crucible and Royal Exchange. Her screen credits include 'The Great' (Hulu), 'Ghost in the Shell' (Paramount/DreamWorks), and 'Tyrant' (FOX). In 2018, Danusia wrote and performed 'Busking It', a gig theatre piece inspired by her experiences as a London Underground busker. 'Busking It' was commissioned by Shoreditch Town Hall and co-produced by HighTide Theatre and toured to critical acclaim. Since then, Danusia has gone on to win the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award for her play 'Out of Sorts'. Danusia is currently one of 13 writers on the BBC’s prestigious TV Drama Writer Programme. She is an alumnus of BBC London Voices, Tamasha Playwrights and SOHO Writer’s Lab. Other writing credits include 'The Museum' (Tamasha Theatre/ SOAS University); 'Conditionally' (SOHO/Oxford School of Drama); 'Langthorne Stories' (Soho Theatre/Waltham Forest); and 'Las Americas Above' (Chaskis Theatre). Danusia also works as a drama facilitator with a community groups. She is passionate about writing a wide range of voices and telling unknown stories.

Dates

Artistic Team
Writer
Danusia Samal
Director
Tanuja Amarasuriya
Designer
Rebecca Wood
Lighting Designer
Ali Hunter
Sound Designer
Rachael Murray
Casting Director
Lilly Mackie
Stage Manager
Keira Dulake
Producer
Jake Orr
Assistant Producer
Frankie Greig
Cast
Zara
Nalân Burgess
Layla
Myriam Acharki
Hussein
Nayef Rashed
Fatima
Oznur Cifci
Alice
Emma Denly
Anthony
Claudius Peters
★★★★ LGBTQArts
Posted on 20 October 2019

The script is careful to present the complex and differing ways in which prejudice is experienced for different people depending on skin colour, nationality and even class in a way that I have not previously experienced onstage.

Read the full article

★★★★★ My Fair Theatregoer
Posted on 20 October 2019

The best thing I can suggest is to see this poignant and stirring show for yourself.

Read the full article

★★★★★ Within Her Words
Posted on 20 October 2019

Theatre in one of its truest forms, Out Of Sorts deserves a life after this run, and needs to be given the chance to be experienced by as many people as possible.

Read the full article

★★★★ Miro Magazine
Posted on 18 October 2019

This layered, nuanced piece of writing is worthy of the 2018 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. Danusia Samal’s play presents a happy façade but conceals a powerful void at its core.

Read the full article

★★★★ The Guardian
Posted on 16 October 2019

"Oznur Cifci as Fatima, and Myriam Acharki as Zara’s gentle mother, Layla, are spellbinding to watch"

Read the full article

★★★★ The Stage
Posted on 16 October 2019

Winner of Theatre503’s International Award, Out of Sorts is a compassionate, generous and well observed piece of writing that accurately captures all the small tug-of-wars that occur over religion, language and food.

Read the full article

★★★★★ Theatre News
Posted on 16 October 2019

Danusia Samal’s Out of Sorts is a play that creates a growing sense of engagement with the characters and story as the story progresses and leaves you with vivid memories for reflection.

Read the full article

★★★★ The Upcoming
Posted on 16 October 2019

The performances are all powerful, sympathetic and nuanced

Read the full article

★★★★ Everything Theatre
Posted on 16 October 2019

Out of Sorts is a wonderfully bittersweet tale of clashing cultures, identities, and class.

Read the full article

★★★★ The Spy In The Stalls
Posted on 16 October 2019

Samal is loving, perceptive, and precise in her championing of people from two cultures who feel like they don’t belong to either. It’s important now more than ever to centre stories like Zara’s. Don’t miss this hugely enjoyable, eye-opening show.

Read the full article

★★★ Broadway World
Posted on 16 October 2019

Danusia Samal's play won the International Playwriting Award 2018 and you can see why.

Read the full article

★★★.5 TheReviewsHub
Posted on 16 October 2019

Truly moving, and surprisingly tender

Read the full article

Once A Week Theatre
Posted on 16 October 2019

“While judging so many plays must be hard, it’s easy to see why the panel chose this one.”

Read the full article

Reviews

★★★★ – The Guardian
“For all its identity politics, this play is ultimately about family love, and is deeply tender.”

★★★★ – The Stage
“Out of Sorts is a compassionate, generous and well observed piece of writing”

★★★★ -The Upcoming
“The performances are all powerful, sympathetic and nuanced”

★★★★ -The Spy In The Stalls
“Don’t miss this hugely enjoyable, eye-opening show.”

AND FROM OUR AUDIENCE

★★★★★  – Sensational. It’s so well written; a gripping, heartbreaking story with complex characters.

★★★★★   – Beautiful script! Wonderful acting – and extremely real!

 

 

 

You may also like