Highlights:
- Olivier winner Will Close joins Ambika Mod in the world premiere production.
- The play explores a young academic’s secret addiction to violent pornography.
- Acclaimed choreographer Wayne McGregor joins the creative team as movement director.
- Performances run from 6 November to 13 December 2025 at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs.
The Royal Court Theatre has unveiled the full company for its upcoming world premiere, Porn Play. Joining the previously announced Ambika Mod is Olivier Award winner Will Close, fresh from his success in Dear England. This new production, a co-production with SISTER, promises a funny and unsettling look at the double life of a high-achieving academic. The creative team also got a significant boost with the involvement of award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor.
Ambika Mod returns to the stage in the Royal Court’s new play Porn Play www.easterneye.biz
What is Porn Play actually about?
Let’s cut through the provocative title. The play centres on a character named Ani, a brilliant academic who seems to have it all: awards, lectures, and a shining career. But beneath the surface, she’s grappling with a secret she can’t control: an addiction to violent pornography.
The story tracks how this hidden compulsion starts to fray her public persona and private relationships. It’s described as honest and unsettling, a proper character study rather than a simple shock-fest. Writer Sophia Chetin-Leuner is making her Royal Court debut with this, and she’s known for digging into complex psychological territory.
Ambika Mod returns to the stage in the Royal Court\u2019s new play Porn Play www.easterneye.biz
Who else is in the cast alongside Ambika Mod and Will Close?
The ensemble is seriously strong. They’ve got Lizzy Connolly, whose stage work ranges from the Donmar Warehouse to the Old Vic, and Asif Khan, a familiar face at the Royal Court and from the recent ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. It’s a tight four-hander, which suggests an intense, focused piece. Mod, of course, is riding an incredible wave after One Day and This Is Going to Hurt, but this is a return to the stage for her. And with Close’s Olivier Award for Dear England, the casting feels very deliberate, pairing actors known for their detailed, truthful work.
Why is Wayne McGregor’s involvement a big deal for a play?
You see a name like Wayne McGregor, a choreographer for the Royal Ballet and major films, on a play’s creative list, and it makes you look twice. He’s on board as the movement director. That’s not just about arranging a few stage crossings. For a play called Porn Play, which deals with desire, compulsion, and the physical manifestation of a secret life, movement could be absolutely central. How do you physically portray an internal addiction? McGregor’s signature is intelligent, often visceral physical storytelling. His role suggests the production will tell as much through the body as through the text, which is a fascinating prospect. With Josie Rourke directing and Mark Henderson on lights, it’s a top-tier team.
When can you see Porn Play at the Royal Court?
Mark the diaries. Porn Play will be staged in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, the Royal Court’s more intimate space, which feels right for this subject matter. The run is from Thursday 6 November 2025 through to Saturday 13 December 2025 and the press night is set for Thursday 13 November. Given the buzz around the cast and creative team, tickets will likely be in demand. It’s exactly the kind of bold, new writing the Royal Court built its reputation on.
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