New play brings ‘chilling portrait’ of Raoul Moat to Royal Court
Award winning North East writer and director, Robert Icke will make his Royal Court debut with the world premiere of new play, Manhunt - part of the London theatre’s new season.
Manhunt is a drama about the hunt for Raoul Moat, whose release from Durham Prison on July 1, 2010 marked the start of an horrific chain of events which left his former partner Samantha Stobbart fighting for her life, her new partner Chris Brown dead, and police officer David Rathband blinded. PC Rathband would later take his own life.
The search for Moat sparked one of the UK’s largest ever manhunts as police pursued him across Northumberland - closely followed by local, national and international press who descended on the region.
A co-production between the Royal Court and Sonia Friedman Productions, the play follows the recent ITV drama The Hunt for Raoul Moat, which starred Lee Ingleby, Sonya Cassidy and Matt Stokoe.
Stockton-born Robert, whose most recent credit was Player Kings starring Sir Ian McKellen in the West End, said: “I'm delighted to be making a production at the Royal Court and to be working with David Byrne, his team and Sonia Friedman Productions. I couldn't be more excited to begin.”