Portia Coughlan, The Young Vic

Ethiopian-Irish actor Ruth Negga makes her Young Vic debut in a haunting play about family bonds. Known globally for her Oscar and BAFTA nominated portrayal of Mildred Loving in 2016 film Loving, she's also impressed on stage at the National Theatre, Old Vic and most recently as Hamlet at Dublin's Gate Theatre.

Negga plays the titular Portia Coughlan, a woman marking her 30th birthday and the 15th anniversary of her twin brother's death. Still subsumed by grief and haunted by loss, Portia dulls the pain with brandy, cigarettes and emotional frigidity. Unable to connect with her husband and children, she makes a choice that will change her story indefinitely.

Marina Carr's 1996 play blends biting realism with surreal twists, drawing on the themes and structures of Greek tragedy. Now regarded as a modern classic of Irish theatre, the haunting drama is revived by director Caroline Byrne (F*ck The Polar Bears, Bush Theatre) as part of the Young Vic's 2020 season.

Public booking for Portia Coughlan at the Young Vic theatre opens on Tuesday 25 June