Anders Lustgarten’s blistering new play The City and the Town visits Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre

The City and the Town is a funny, eclectic, political drama which brings a fresh perspective to some of the political divides and problems facing the UK and Europe today.

In a unique partnership it is being co-produced by Riksteatern – the national touring theatre of Sweden – and Matthew Linley Creative Projects.

The show tells the story of brothers Ben and Magnus. Ben, a successful London lawyer, returns home for his father’s funeral after 13 years away.

While there he is confronted not only by family and old friends but also with uncomfortable truths about the community he left behind.

Lustgarten’s previous work includes Lampedusa (Hightide/Soho Theatre), The Seven Acts of Mercy (RSC) and The Secret Theatre (Globe).

The City and the Town features Gareth Watkins as Magnus, Amelia Donkor as Lyndsay and Sam Collings as Ben. The show is designed by Hannah Sibai, with lighting design by Matt Haskins.

Riksteatern’s Artistic Director Dritero Kasapi directs, his first UK show since the acclaimed Nina – a story about me and Nina Simone.

He said: “Even from the very first draft Anders sent us, I knew that this was a play I wanted to direct.

"In fact I’d go as far as saying it’s the play I’ve wanted to direct for a very long time. By exploring the rise of the right, Anders is looking at something that is happening all over Europe.

But this is not just a political play, it’s also a humane one – it explores the question of if and how we belong to society, what can happen when we lose that connection and how we perceive our common history as a society.”

The City and the Town is produced in association with Hull Truck Theatre.

Following its UK tour it will transfer to Sweden where it will tour this autumn.

The City and the Town can be seen at the SJT at 7.45pm on Wednesday March 15, Thursday March 16 and Friday 17 March, plus 1.45pm on Thursday March 16.

War time is the setting for the Winston Machine which is on at the theatre on Tuesday March 7 and Wednesday March 8, daily at 7.30pm.

At the height of the Blitz, Charlotte's in a passionate affair with a Spitfire pilot, fighting fascism in red lipstick and living each day like her last.

Eighty years later, Charlotte's granddaughter Becky is stuck in her hometown, singing old songs at other people’s weddings and dreaming of a better time. The 1940s are more real to Becky than her life – but when an old friend moves back to town, will she be forced to face the present?The Winston Machine is the unmissable new show from internationally-renowned theatre company Kandinsky. It moves between the 1940s and the 2020s, between the past and its ghosts in the present, to ask: what happens when there’s no war left to fight?

Tickets are available from the box office on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com