Cast Announced For AND THEN THE DARK, New Wolsey Theatre, From Feb 2013

Casting has now been announced for the Mike Lesslie thriller And Then The Dark which has its world premiere at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich in February 2013.

And Then The Dark is a gripping psychological thriller set in a Georgian town house in present day London. It is seven years since Edward's wife and son died in suspicious circumstances in a fire in the attic. For seven years Edward has been tormented by their ghosts but still refuses to accept they are gone - if indeed they are!

Paul Ansdell will play Edward Alberly, Jon Carver will play his business partner and confidant Arnold Culler, Liza Sadovy will play his sister-in-law Ruth Siding, Ben Jones will play her husband William Siding, Jonny Weldon plays Theo Masterman and Graham Kent plays Sergeant Copley.

Paul Ansdell is an established and charismatic actor. Theatre work is broad across all genres, and he has many touring and West End credits. Film/ TV work has included mainstream and independent projects, as well as TV appearances in The Bill, Dangerfield, Ruth Rendell and Rosemary & Thyme. Theatre includes The King & I, Othello and The Importance of Being Earnest.

Ben Jones is best known for his recent TV credits as regular Dr Greg Robinson in the BBC drama Doctors as well as Spooks (BBC), My Family, Holby City (BBC), Echo Beach (BBC) and Moving Wallpaper (BBC). Most recently Ben played the role of Julian in Alan Ayckbourn's national tour of Communicating Doors.

New Wolsey Artistic Director Peter Rowe will direct, design is by Foxton, lighting design by Malcolm Rippeth and video design by Dick Straker. Matthew Bugg composes the soundtrack for this world premiere production.

New Wolsey Artistic Director Peter Rowe said: "Mike Lesslie has taken all the familiar elements of a thriller - a haunted house, murder in a locked room, ghostly appearances - and fashioned a contemporary play which ratchets up the tension from the first heartbeat to the last breath.

"This is a brand new play that feels like a classic, and provides us with a great opportunity to immerse the audience in the room alongside the central character, with the sights, sounds and shocks happening all around them. This is another world premiere for the New Wolsey and its always the most exciting thing to work on a play for the very first time - none of us knows exactly what will happen when the audience encounter the action of this gothic chiller."

Composer and sound designer Matthew Bugg added: "Sound and music will add a thrilling extra dimension to this production and my aim is to use both in a compositional way to draw the audience into the psychological experience of the lead character. We are using a mix of cutting-edge technologies to synchronise music, video and lighting alongside old fashioned techniques like foley, which means working alongside the performance to create sound effects live off stage."

Since having his first play adaptation, Swimming With Sharks, produced on the West End in 2007, Michael Lesslie has written several feature-length film and theatre scripts for companies such as Pathé Films, Film Four, Blueprint Pictures, Element Pictures, CMP Ltd and the Royal National Theatre, and has had work staged and screened all over the world. Mike's writing has been nominated for a range of awards, including a BAFTA, and he is currently developing new work for the stage, TV and screen.

Tickets to see And Then The Dark at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich can be booked online at www.wolseytheatre.co.uk or by calling the New Wolsey Box office on 01473 295900

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