James V: Katherine

‘Powerful… bursts with energy and revelation… At just 75 minutes, Munro’s play packs a lot in, from a clear and convincing portrait of the Reformation era to the tenderness and passion of Katherine and Jenny’s love… revelatory’

‘Exceptional… a spirited play about faith, love and zealotry’

‘A brilliant gem, witty, gallus (cheeky), pulls no punches… intricate and accessible… very funny… The relationship between Katherine and Jenny is at times erotic but sensitive and beautifully done… superb’

‘Dark, brooding and intense… a very moving and powerful piece… accessible and relevant… a triumph’

‘Thoroughly modern… a play full of love and anger… Rona Munro’s series of history plays is centuries-spanning, zeitgeist-busting’

‘Plunges bravely into a political and personal cauldron… Munro wisely sidesteps the issues [of history and politics] in favour of letting the drama unfold… all of the characters are distinctively drawn’

‘Rona Munro’s brief but powerful new play has pace, clarity and energy… rivets the attention, and wins roars of applause from the audience’

Rona Munro is a writer who has written extensively for stage, radio, film and television. Her plays include: James V: Katherine (Raw Material and Capital Theatres tour, 2024); Mary (Hampstead Theatre, 2022); James IV: Queen of the Fight (National Theatre of Scotland, 2022); a stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (UK tour, 2019); a stage adaptation of Louis de Bernières’ novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (UK tour & West End, 2019); Scuttlers (Royal Exchange, Manchester, 2015); The James Plays trilogy (National Theatre of Scotland, the Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Great Britain, 2014); Donny’s Brain (Hampstead Theatre, 2012); Pandas (Traverse, 2011); Little Eagles (Royal Shakespeare Company, 2011); The Last Witch (Traverse Theatre & Edinburgh International Festival, 2009); Long Time Dead (Paines Plough & Drum Theatre Plymouth, 2006); The Indian Boy (RSC, 2006); Iron (Traverse Theatre, 2002; Royal Court, London, 2003); The Maiden Stone (Hampstead Theatre, 1995); and Bold Girls (7:84 and Hampstead Theatre, 1990). She is the co-founder, with actress Fiona Knowles, of Scotland’s oldest continuously performing, small-scale touring theatre company, The Msfits. Their one-woman shows have toured every year since 1986. Film and television work includes the Ken Loach film Ladybird Ladybird, Aimee and Jaguar and television dramas Rehab (directed by Antonia Bird) and BAFTA-nominated Bumping the Odds for the BBC. She has also written many other single plays for television and contributed to series including Casualty and Dr Who. Most recently, she wrote the screenplay for Oranges and Sunshine, directed by Jim Loach and starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving. She has contributed several radio plays to the Stanley Baxter Playhouse series on BBC Radio 4.

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