Tom Stoppard and David Hare have each been commissioned to write a new play for the 50th anniversary season of London’s Royal Court Theatre. The Court has been one of Britain’s premiere venues for new plays, and Stoppard said he “[didn’t] want to fall under a bus before having a play on its stage.” Another highlight of the anniversary year will be a rare acting appearance by playwright Harold Pinter, who will perform the role of the “wearyish old man” in a Beckett play. “The Royal Court’s illustrious history as Britain’s new writing theatre has seen it associated with writers such as Edward Bond, Caryl Churchill, Sir David Hare, Joe Orton and Sam Shepard. In the 1990s the theatre nurtured a new wave of talent, including Sarah Kane, Martin McDonagh and Mark Ravenhill.”