Royal Court Theatre 4.48 Psychosis

"So stunningly staged and dangerously beautiful."
—Time Out London

Welcome one of the world's finest theater ensembles on a rare U.S. tour.

$5 tickets for teens (ages 13-18) are available through High 5 Tickets to the Arts. Click here for details.

No late seating permitted. The internationally renowned Royal Court Theatre is widely acclaimed for a deep commitment to nurturing young talent, bringing to the fore many of Britain's most notable playwrights for generations. In the 1990s, the Royal Court was closely involved in realizing the stage visions of a new generation of talents who reenergized English theater with their incendiary plays and acid-etched views of contemporary life. Young playwright Sarah Kane was a key figure and lightning rod in this burst of fresh talent. Her first play, Blasted, provoked controversy and outrage with its graphic scenes of shocking sex and violence.

More shocking was the news of her death by suicide at age 28. By that time Kane was beginning to be rightly seen as a major artist who amplified harsh realities to extremes as a way to call for greater tenderness and who found profound poetry in the gritty details of her narratives. Although she wrote only five plays, Kane left a legacy that mirrors that of writer Sylvia Plath in its uncommon insight and refusal to shy away from hard truths no matter how devastating.

4.48 Psychosis was produced by the Royal Court Theatre after her untimely passing. (The title comes from Kane's discovery of clinical studies that concluded that 4:48 am is the average time chosen for suicide.) Kane's final play, it stands as a testament both to her artistic stature and to the Royal Court's dedicated role in bringing crucial work to fruition. Performed by its original cast, 4.48 Psychosis delivers its anguish and stark rage with cold force in a disturbing but essential dramatic experience. Quoting a passage from the play, "I am angry because I understand, not because I donít," the Guardian (U.K.) commented: "Those words from the late Sarah Kane's final play...sum up her short, brave career that was fuelled and terminated by breakdown and suicide. The text does not so much push at the boundaries of theater as simply dissolve them. Just as Kane dissolved herself."

Royal Court Theatre's visit to campus also involves an intensive week-long workshop in which aspiring playwrights from Ohio State's Department of Theatre will have the opportunity to directly experience the developmental process that has earned the Royal Court accolades as an incubator of talent.

Presented by the Wexner Center in association with Ohio State's Department of Theatre with support from the College of the Arts, Department of Comparative Studies, Department of English, Humanities Institute, and Office of International Affairs.


support credits

Theater season presented by Altria Group, Inc.

This event presented with support from the British Council.

Major support for the performing arts season provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Additional season support provided by the Ohio Arts Council and the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation.