Cannibals

Rory Mullarkey was appointed Pearson Playwright in summer 2011 and joined the Royal Exchange as the Pearson Playwright in Residence. He has studied at the State Theatrical Arts Academy of St Petersburg. A translator of Russian drama, his recent work includes a translation of Remembrance Day by Aleksey Scherbak, produced in 2011 at the Royal Court, London. Other original plays include Single Sex (Royal Exchange); Tourism (Headlong); Come To Where I'm From (Paines Plough); and The Grandfathers (National Theatre Connections, published by Methuen Drama).

The narrative feels as primal and timeless as an orthodox chant, boldly connecting a mythic world of babushkas, icon-painters and holy fools to the plight of abducted east European brides in modern-day Manchester … Cannibals is not an easy play to watch, or even a particularly easy play to like. But it could be one of the most provocative, original and disturbing debuts since Blasted.