Raw Material and Capital Theatres present

JAMES IV - QUEEN OF THE FIGHT

in association with National Theatre of Scotland

Written by Rona Munro
Directed by Laurie Sansom 
Designed by Jon Bausor 
Music composed by Paul Leonard Morgan 
Sound Design by Garry Boyle
Lighting Design by Lizzie Powell
Movement Direction by Neil Bettles
Casting Director Laura Donnelly CDG

Rona Munro returns to Scottish stages with a bold new production:  James IV – Queen of the Fight, directed by Laurie Sansom - the formidable duo who brought us James I, II and III. 

This new large-scale production, presented by Raw Material and Capital Theatres in association with the National Theatre of Scotland, will come to stages across Scotland in autumn 2022:

“You’re a wonder. You’re a window into a wide world.” ​ 

Scotland, 1504, seen fresh through the eyes of new arrivals Ellen and Anne, two Moorish ​ women who were expected to take their place at a royal court....but not this one. Both women now have to fight to find and keep a place in the dazzling, dangerous world of the Scottish Court of James IV. It’s a world where war is never far away, words of love and promises of peace are not what they seem and where poets might turn out to be more dangerous than any assassin.  

Blythe Duff (Taggart, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and Daniel Cahill (All My Sons for Dundee Rep and River City for BBC) are returning to the James Plays following their roles in James I, II and III, and are joined by Danielle Jam (Them! For NTS, Molly and Mack for BBC) as Ellen, and Laura Lovemore (Queen of the New Year for BBC and Life is a Dream for The Lyceum) as Anne.

Employing the same wit and theatricality of the first ​three James Plays, acclaimed playwright Rona Munro takes you back to a thrilling and uncharted period of Scottish history in this brand-new production. Join us on the journey. 

Rona Munro's vividly imagined trilogy has already brought to life three generations of Stewart kings who ruled Scotland in the tumultuous fifteenth century to the acclaim of audiences and critics from Scotland to Auckland. The original trilogy opened at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2014 before touring Scotland and internationally, winning several awards. They were acknowledged as a landmark event in Scottish and UK theatre. Now comes James IV with Laurie Sansom directing once more. 

“We are beyond thrilled to be working with Capital Theatres on this new production of James IV - Queen of the Fight by Rona Munro. As independent producers we are acutely aware of the need for high quality Scottish plays that can perform on some of our largest stages. This past year has been challenging across all parts of our sector and we look forward to heralding the return of our creative artists to venues and stages with the best stories and plays that will entertain and delight audiences across Scotland and beyond. Through a new co-producing partnership with the incredible team at Capital Theatres led by Fiona Gibson, a script by Rona Munro, direction by Laurie Sansom and support from the National Theatre of Scotland, we are raring to go and very much looking forward to touring James IV to audiences across Scotland in autumn 2022.”

Rona Munro said: “The first three James Plays - James I - The Key Will Keep the Lock, James II - The Day of the Innocents and James III - The True Mirror, were among the most exciting and the most satisfying theatre productions I’ve ever been part of. To be able to continue this work, with Laurie and with this team is, for me, to continue that excitement. My larger ambition is to extend the Stewart history of Scotland through James V, Mary Queen of Scots and to conclude with James VI who became James I of England. My hope is that I can make this history more accessible, make those invisible in history visible again and provide a representation of the most potent and telling truth of history- it was made by people like us.”

Laurie Sansom said: “It’s a great privilege to be returning to the world created by Rona in the first trilogy of James Plays. It was probably the most challenging and rewarding creative project I have worked on, and it’s now thrilling to be realising a long-held ambition to continue the story with the support of Raw Material, Capital Theatres and the National Theatre of Scotland.”