THIS BITTER EARTH ADD SCHEDULEDUNDERSTUDY PERFORMANCES

THIS BITTER EARTH, BY HARRISON DAVID RIVERS AND DIRECTED BY GRAMMY, EMMY AND THREE-TIME TONY AWARD WINNER BILLY PORTER AND ASSOSCIATE DIRECTOR BRONAGH LAGAN

STARRING LUKE STRIFFLER AND STANTON PLUMMER-CAMBRIDGE FOR TWO SCHEDULED SHOWS ON WEDNESDAY 9 AND 23 JULY MATINEES

The whole team behind the critically acclaimed production of This Bitter Earth proudly announce scheduled understudy performances on Wednesdays 9 and 23 July Matinee performances. Where Luke Striffler and Stanton Plummer-Cambridge will take over the play together for two shows only.

This Bitter Earth understudy performances

Producer Thomas Hopkins said, "I recognize the importance of highlighting the hardworking understudies in our industry. I am humbled by the passion and hard work our talented understudies, Luke and Stanton, have put into this process. The whole team and I are excited to give these talented performers their moment in the spotlight. I would also like to recognize the leadership of our associate director, Bronagh Lagan, whose commitment and love for this show flows through Luke and Stanton’s performances."

This by Harrison David Rivers is an intimate, romantic and gripping play about a young black writer and his white activist lover that asks, “What is the real cost of standing on the sidelines?”

Luke Striffler was born and raised in New York, USA and trained in London at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His credits include: Hairspray (UK tour), Avenue Q (UK tour) Noctropia (Hampstead Theatre), Evil Dead: the Musical (Las Vegas), Forever Plaid (St James Theatre, London) as well as Edward Brooks in EastEnders.

Stanton Plummer-Cambridge is an American-British actor. Born and raised in Brooklyn to British Caribbean parents, he moved to London to study at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. His credits include: Coming Clean (West End), The Twilight Zone (West End), F**king Men (Waterloo East Theatre), Black Earth Rising (BBC/Netflix), and Law and Order: Organized Crime (NBC/Universal).

Omari Douglas and Alexander Lincoln will continue their roles as ‘Jesse’ and ‘Neil’ for all other scheduled performances.

This major new London production is playing at the Soho Theatre until Saturday 26 July, marking the UK directorial debut of Grammy Award, Emmy and three-time Tony Award winner, Billy Porter.

At the Million Hoodie March in 2012, Jesse, a young black man, encounters Neil, a young white man who has unwittingly found himself at the front of the crowd with a megaphone in his hand. Flash forward several weeks, and Jesse and Neil have begun dating. However, as the months pass and Neil works his way further into the world of activism, Jesse never enters it. Over the years, Jesse and Neil negotiate the complex “firsts” of their relationship against a backdrop of political demonstrations and discord. With history unfolding around them every day, Jesse and Neil must contend with the fact that, no matter their response to social turmoil, they cannot remain untouched by it.

Billy Porter said: “Harrison David Rivers has written a searingly poignant and necessary play about love and loss through the lens of the fraying American Democratic experiment. Simple. Complex. Direct and filled with compassion all at once. I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing this very special piece to life.”

This Bitter Earth is award-winning producer Thomas Hopkins’ first development project through his independently owned company, Thomas Hopkins Productions. THP will focus on producing work in the same vein as his successful West End revival of Martin Sherman’s Rose, starring Maureen Lipman, and Simon Stephen’s Song From Far Away, staring Will Young, at Hampstead Theatre.

Thomas Hopkins said: “This Bitter Earth marks an important step in my new company’s continued growth, as we begin in making our footprint in the West End. This play not only brings together the exceptional playwright Harrison David Rivers with the creative visionary in Billy Porter as our director. But also, a team of passionate artists at the top of the world’s theatrical landscape, to create a production that, the world needs. This Bitter Earth allows us to learn from each other, grow as individuals and heal as one.’’

This Bitter Earth is written by Harrison David Rivers, directed by Billy Porter and associate director Bronagh Lagan, with set and costume design by Morgan Large, original composition by Sean Green, sound design by Julian Starr, lighting design by Lee Curran, casting by Rob Kelly, production management by Toby Darvill, general management for

THP by Giles Rowland, marketing by Tessa Daniel for Make a Noise, with Elsie O’Rourke as Company Stage Manager, Jordan Deegan-Fleet as Deputy Stage Manager.

Produced by

Thomas Hopkins

Jana Robbins, Craig Haffner & Sherry Wright.

Alex Deacon, Jonathan Kaldor & Kohl Beck

in association with John Rogerson ad Sarig Peker.