WHEN Actors Touring Company’s English language version of Winter Solstice received its world premiere at Orange Tree Theatre in early 2017, it received rave reviews and played to sell-out audiences.

To kick-off their 40th anniversary, in early 2018, the company takes Roland Schimmelpfennig’s startling drama to the road for a national tour of the UK, including Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre from March 28 to 31.

Winter Solstice tells the story of what appears to be a normal family Christmas in a western middle class home.

Bettina and her husband Albert aren’t happy. Bettina’s mother is staying for the holidays, which is awkward.

Not least because Bettina’s mother met a man on the train; a charismatic, mesmerising man, whose words carry echoes of a sinister past.

As a new (or maybe old?) kind of politics rises up around the world, this razor sharp comedy exposes the betrayals at the heart of family and society and sheds light on the insidious shifting of the boundaries of acceptable political discourse.

Directed by Ramin Gray, the cast of Winter Solstice comprises David Beames, Kirsty Besterman, Felix Hayes, Gerald Kyd and Marian McLoughlin. Design is by Lizzie Clachan, lighting by Jack Knowles and sound by Alex Caplan.

Author Roland Schimmelpfennig is the most performed playwright in Germany and one of the country’s most original voices, with productions of his work worldwide in over 40 countries.

Winter Solstice (Winterson-nenwende) premiered to great acclaim at the Dramaten, Stockholm, in 2015.

Previous plays include The Golden Dragon and Arabian Night, both presented by Actors Touring Company. Other plays performed in the UK include The Woman Before and Push Up at the Royal Court.

Winter Solstice can be seen in the Round at the SJT on Wednesday, March 28 and Friday, March 30, at 1.30pm, and 7pm on Thursday, March 29, and at 2.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday, March 31.

Tickets are priced from £10, and can be booked via the box office on 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com