OSCAR-WINNER Jessie Buckley will take the lead in a new play which gets its world premiere in London.
The Kerry native, who hails from Killarney, will star in Afterbirth at the Royal Court Theatre.
Written by Nina Segal, the play is described by the theatre as a “funny, furious and unflinching story about the disorienting reality of life after birth”.
Jessie Buckley stars in Afterbirth at the Royal Court TheatreBuckley, who won an Oscar in January for her performance in Hamnet, will make her Royal Court debut in the production which is set to open in January in 2028.
She made history this year by becoming the first Irish woman ever to scoop the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film, in which she strarred alongside fellow Irish actor Paul Mescal.
“People think the birth's the end of it. The hard part. But there's all the rest.,” the Royal Court Theatre says of Afterbirth.
“The baby is fine. The birth was fine. Annie is fine. She's fine. She's really, really, really fine,” they add.
The production, which will be directed by Maria Aberg, is among a number of plays announced by the theatre for the year ahead.
They include the world premiere of The Briar Patch, by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth, which is described as a “domestic thriller about losing trust in the people closest to you”.
Directed by Royal Court Artistic Director David Byrne, the play will be presented in association with Prime Cut and Brian & Dayna Lee from May to June 2027.
Jessie Buckley as Agnes in Hamnet (Pic: Focus Films)In January the theatre will welcome the transfer of Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins from Broadway.
The play, which is a 2025 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner, gets its European Premiere at the Royal Court.
A family drama centred on a black American political dynasty, and directed by Phylicia Rashad, it will run at the theatre from January 16 to February 27, 2027.
“Three years since I became Artistic Director of the Royal Court, and coming out of our 70th anniversary year, this is the most thrilling season we could imagine bringing together,” Artistic Director David Byrne said as the new season was announced.
“I almost can’t believe it’s ours - but of course it is, because this extraordinary set of knotty, original, adventurous new plays couldn’t be truly at home anywhere else," he added.
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