James Corrigan, Doon Mackichan, and Sara Powell Join Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James in LYONESSE at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Full casting has been announced for the world premiere of Lyonesse by Penelope Skinner, directed by Ian Rickson at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 17 October – 23 December 2023.

James Corrigan, Doon Mackichan and Sara Powell will join the previously announced Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James in this searingly funny and passionate new play.

Elaine (Kristin Scott Thomas) a reclusive and talented actress, disappears in mysterious circumstances. 30 years later, she finally feels ready to tell her story – summoning Kate (Lily James), a young film executive, to her remote Cornish home to assist with her glorious comeback.

But who really controls the stories we tell, and how we get to tell them? Will these women own their narrative, or will it be swept away from them at any given moment?

James Corrigan’s stage credits include Jack Absolute Flies Again (National Theatre), White Noise (Bridge Theatre), King Lear (Duke of York’s Theatre), Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, Antony and Cleopatra, Two Noble Kinsmen, The 7 Acts of Mercy, Wendy and Peter Pan, Othello, The Merchant of Venice and Shakespeare’s Birthday (all RSC); Monologue Slam UK (Triforce), Hay Fever (Kay and Mclean Australia) and Hay Fever and The Big Meal (Bath Theatre Royal). His television work includes C.B Strike, This England and This Is Going to Hurt. He is soon to appear in upcoming film Midas Man about Brian Epstein. Further television credits include: Time; My Lady Jane, Grace, Manhunt, Temple and The Tempest.

Doon Mackichan is best known for her roles in cult television shows such as Channel 4’s double Emmy-award winning Smack the Pony, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge (BBC), Toast of Tinseltown (BBC), The Duchess (Netflix), Flack (POP TV), Pure (Channel 4) and Good Omens (Amazon). She was nominated for a BAFTA for her performance in Plebs, won a British comedy award for Toast of London and has appeared in five series of BBC2 sitcom Two Doors Down.  Her stage credits include Bitter Wheat (Garrick Theatre), Twelfth Night (National Theatre), Loot (Tricycle Theatre), The Government Inspector (Young Vic), The Queen and I (Royal Court/Leicester Haymarket), Jumpy (Royal Court/Duke of York’s Theatre), Mother Courage (National Theatre) and her acclaimed one-woman show Primadoona (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Menier Chocolate Factory).  In her fierce, frank and hilarious new memoir My Lady Parts: A Life Fighting Stereotypes (to be published by Canongate on 21 September) Mackichan examines through the roles she has played (and turned down) on stage, screen and in real life, how our culture still expects women to adhere to certain stereotypes.

Sara Powell’s extensive stage credits include The Seagull (Jamie Lloyd Company), The Madness of King George (Nottingham Playhouse), La Peste, Richard III (Arcola Theatre), The Crucible (Bristol Old Vic), Disgraced (Bush Theatre), Some Girls (Gielgud Theatre), Macbeth (Almeida Theatre), Stuff Happens, The Villain’s Opera, Honk (all National Theatre), World Music (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield/Donmar Warehouse) Racing Demon, Absence of War (Birmingham Rep) and The Duchess of Malfi (Royal Shakespeare Company).

On screen she is known for her many roles in television dramas including The Hunted, Vera, The House Across the Street, Doctor Who, Murder in Provence, Ghosts, Death in Paradise, Unforgotten 3, Silent Witness, Little Boy Blue, Damned, Midsomer Murders, DCI Banks, Holby Blue, Family Man, Ice Cream Girls, Whisteblowers and Law & Order. She will soon appear in upcoming legal thriller The Killing Kind. 

BAFTA and Olivier winning actor Kristin Scott Thomas has extensive credits across stage and screen including the films The English Patient (for which she was Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated), Four Weddings and a Funeral (for which she won a BAFTA and Evening Standard British Film Award), Darkest Hour (for which she was nominated for a BAFTA), Nowhere Boy (for which she was BAFTA and BIFA nominated), Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (for which she was Golden Globe, BAFTA and César nominated),  A Handful of Dust, Angels and Insects and Partir (for all of which she won Evening Standard British Film Awards and for Partir was also César nominated) and Gosford Park.   On television she was nominated for an Emmy for her role in Fleabag and also recently starred in Talking Heads (BBC) and two series of Slow Horses (Apple TV) with the third soon to be released. Her debut feature film as a director, North Star, in which she also stars, will also be released soon. On stage, she won the Olivier for Best Actress for her performance in The Seagull (Royal Court/ Broadway) and was nominated for her roles in Electra (Old Vic), Three Sisters, Betrayal and Old Times (all West End). Other notable stage roles include playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience (West End).

Lily James is best known for her roles in films such as Baby Driver, Cinderella, The Dig, Yesterday, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Darkest Hour, What’s Love Got To Do With It and TV dramas including Pam & Tommy (for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and Emmy Award), War and Peace, Rebecca, The Pursuit of Love and Downton Abbey.  Upcoming films released later this year include Relay, The Iron Claw and Finalmente l’alba.  On stage she most recently appeared in All About Eve (West End).  Other theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet (Kenneth Branagh Season, West End) and Vernon God Little (Young Vic).  

Lyonesse is a powerful story for our times by Penelope Skinner, winner of the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright for The Village Bike, and whose other works for stage include Angry Alan, Meek, Linda, The Ruins of Civilisation, Fred’s Diner, Eigengrau and F*cked.  For screen, she was a writer on four seasons of Fresh Meat (Channel 4), wrote the film How I Live Now and, along with her sister Ginny Skinner, has created and written the upcoming TV thriller The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies (Sister/BBC1).

Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James join forces for the first time on stage for Lyonesse after appearing together in the Oscar and BAFTA winning film Darkest Hour (Working Title Films/Universal) and screen adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca (Netflix/Working Title).  The play also reunites long-time collaborators Ian Rickson and Kristin Scott Thomas following their work together on The Seagull (Royal Court/ Broadway – for which Kristin Scott Thomas won an Olivier for her performance), Electra (Old Vic) and West End productions of Betrayal and Old Times (all produced by SFP).  This will be Ian Rickson’s twelfth collaboration with SFP including celebrated West End productions such as Jerusalem, Rosmersholm, Uncle Vanya, The Children’s Hour and The Birthday Party. Lily James last appeared on stage in the SFP production of All About Eve (West End).

Lyonesse will be designed by Georgia Lowe, with lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun, music by Stephen Warbeck, sound by Tingying Dong and casting by Amy Ball CDG.