Playwright Nancy Harris brings Hans Christian Andersen’s dark fairy tale, The Red Shoes, into the 21st century in the intimate surroundings of the Swan Theatre, presented by Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
With direction and movement by Kimberley Rampersad (Associate Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival Theatre, Canada) in her RSC debut, The Red Shoes is both a magical story and cautionary tale of pride, vanity and how we all deserve to dance how we wish to dance.
When Karen, an orphaned young woman, is taken in by some local do-gooders, she is expected to be seen and not heard. Dazzled by a pair of beautiful shoes, she sees the chance to do and be so much more, but soon her feet betray her, taking her to places she does not wish to go.
Talking about the play, Harris said, “The Red Shoes is one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most dark and delicious fairytales. At its essence, it deals with power: those who have it, those who don’t and those ‘false gods’ we give our power to (whether material possessions like a pair of red shoes, or people).”
She continued, “I was excited at the prospect of reimagining this story for a contemporary audience – placing dance and music by Marc Teitler at its centre – without whitewashing the darker elements found in the original fairytale. It’s truly thrilling to be working with Canadian director/choreographer Kimberley Rampersad on this ambitious new production of one of our most intriguing fairytales, for RSC audiences this Christmas.”
Harris is an award-winning writer from Dublin who lives in London. She was nominated for the 2023 BAFTA Writer award in the Comedy category for The Dry, which she wrote and created. Harris wrote two episodes of the Channel 4 series Dates for Balloon/C4, starring Sheridan Smith, for which she was nominated for BAFTA Breakthrough Talent Award.
Harris’ previous work for the RSC includes the musical, The Magician’s Elephant, for which she wrote the book and co-wrote the lyrics with composer Marc Teitler. Her other plays include Somewhere Out There You (Abbey Theatre, Ireland), Two Ladies (Bridge Theatre, London), The Beacon (Druid, Galway and the Gate Theatre Dublin, and to be produced by Irish Rep in New York this September/October). She is a past recipient of The Stewart Parker Award for playwriting and The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.
Rampersad is a director, choreographer and actor. She is Associate Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival Theatre, Canada, where she has recently choreographed and co-directed My Fair Lady, and directed Cotton Club. Other credits for the Shaw include: as director, Man and Superman and The Amen Corner; as director/choreographer, Chitra; and as actor, Damn Yankees, Holiday Inn, Grand Hotel, Pygmalion and Sweet Charity.
Joining Rampersad on the creative team are Colin Richmond (set and costume designer), Ryan Day (lighting designer), Marc Teitler (composer), Gregory Clarke (sound designer) and Charlotte Sutton CDG (casting director). Casting is to be announced.
Age guidance is 7+ years; parental discretion recommended for under 12s.
Nancy Harris’ new version of The Red Shoes will be presented at Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 7 November 2024 – 19 January 2025. For bookings and more information, visit www.rsc.org.uk/the-red-shoes.
