‘THE science of speech. That’s my profession. I can place any man within six miles. I can place him within two miles in London. Sometimes within two streets.’....

How far do accents define us? Is status still dictated by our mother tongue?

Sam Pritchard directs a radical new staging of Bernard Shaw’s acute comedy Pygmalion in Southampton next Spring.

This hilarious and poignant tale of two opposites, Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, trying to find a common language will be at the Nuffield Theatre Tuesday 25 April to Saturday 13 May 2017 .

Pygmalion is a co-production between Headlong, Nuffield Theatres Southampton and West Yorkshire Playhouse which will tour the country.

The full cast is Alex Beckett (Henry Higgins), Ian Burfield (Alfred Doolittle), Gavi Singh Chera (Freddy Eynsford Hill), Flaminia Cinque (Mrs Pearce/Mrs Eynsford-Hill), Natalie Gavin (Eliza Doolittle), Racheal Ofori (Clara Eynsford-Hill), Liza Sadovy (Mrs Higgins), Raphael Sowole (Colonel Pickering).

Shaw’s celebrated play was first staged over 100 years ago and is recognised as one of the most enduring and perceptive of comedies. In this audacious new staging, Sam Pritchard playfully carves a contemporary world on stage using sound and video technology which examines class identity and questions how far accents and speech can define us in Britain today.

Sam Pritchard is the Associate Director (International) at the Royal Court and was winner of the JMK Award for Directors in 2012. His credits include Anna (Aix Opera Festival/ENOA Workshop), There Has Possibly Been An Incident (Royal Exchange and Edinburgh St Stephens/Soho Theatre/Berlin Theatertreffen), Buy Nothing Day (Company of Angels), Fireface (Young Vic) and Galka Motalka (Royal Exchange). He will be directing Guillermo Calderon’s play B for the Royal Court in September 2017.

Pygmalion continues Headlong’s progressive work with emerging directors, giving a director in the early stages of their career the opportunity to present work on main stages across the country. This programme has previously supported work from Simon Godwin, Natalie Abrahami, Robert Icke, Blanche McIntyre, Ben Kidd and Ellen McDougal.

Headlong has partnered with Nuffield Southampton Theatres on supporting emerging directors on several occasions, productions have included Romeo and Juliet in 2012 and The Seagull in 2013 and Spring Awakening in 2014.

Pygmalion is at Nuffield Theatre Tuesday 25 April to Saturday 13 May 2017

NST Campus, Nuffield Southampton Theatres

Tickets: 023 8067 1771

www.nstheatres.co.uk