Casting Revealed For Political Satire HELL YES I'M TOUGH ENOUGH

Casting has been announced for the World Premiere production of Hell Yes I'm Tough Enough, a modern historical satire exposing the farcical pantomime behind the British 2015 election circuit. Informed by sources within the government, the production stars Ben Hood, Michael Edwards, Cassandra Hercules, Edward Halsted, Venice van Someren, Mikhail Sen, Annie Tyson, James Bryant and Ben Alderton. The official press night will be Friday 26 April, 7pm at Park Theatre.

Political leaders Ned Contraband and David Carter ruthlessly battle it out to get into government. Whether it's propaganda, ridicule, hacking, leaking, bullying, blackmail, coalition or negotiation - no tactic is too low. Which party has the best pitch? Who do we set up for failure? Why are we in this situation in the first place? And who is this peculiar janitor talking in riddles? One thing is clear: the system is very much broken. But who's going to fix it?

Playwright Ben Alderton said of the play's origins: "Hell Yes I'm Tough Enough took shape when, after years of our current political malaise, I began to explore what felt like the genesis for the personalities behind our current predicaments: the 2015 election. After years of research and working with inside sources to better understand the true personalities behind the podiums, I shared the script with contacts I'd made within the government. What I thought would be dismissed as a farcical and farfetched satire of debauchery was, I was told, uncannily and uncomfortably close to the truth. So much has come to pass since 2015, but this play serves as a worrying reminder of the pressures of political office, and the mechanisms that humans use to cope when the cameras are off."

Playwright Ben Alderton will also play political leader David Carter, alongside Ben Hood (RANK - The Lowry; Faulty Towers The Dining Experience and The Wedding Reception - internationally touring) in the role of the opposition, Ned Contraband. In addition to being a playwright, Ben is an accomplished actor having appeared in productions for Secret Cinema (28 Days Later; Empire Strikes Back and Dr. Strangelove), and other recent work including You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (Junction) and Planter's Island (Black Box).

They are joined by Edward Halsted in the role of the mysterious janitor. Edward has performed extensively for Punchdrunk (Firebird Ball; The Yellow Wallpaper; The Drowned Man and the title role in Faust). His other credits include Twelve Angry Men (national tour); Lady Anna: All at Sea (Park Theatre and tour); Single Spies (National Theatre and West End) and Simon At Midnight (Young Vic).

The cast is completed by Michael Edwards (Counting Sheep - Vault Festival; The Fifth Column - Southwark Playhouse) as Will; Cassandra Hercules (One Hundred Trillion - Southwark Playhouse; Lest We Forget - Greenwich Theatre) as Sharon; Venice van Someren (The Real Thing - Theatre Royal Bath/UK tour; Dear Brutus - Southwark Playhouse) as Poppy; Mikhail Sen (Troilus and Cressida - RSC; Taj Express - U.S tour and Sadler's Wells London) as Patrick; Annie Tyson (King Lear - Old Vic; The Enemies Within - Young Vic) as Glyniss, and James Bryant (PINKY - Feature Film; Street Magic - The Bunker Theatre) as Nick Clog.

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