Ferdinand Kingsley & Graeme Hawley to Star in York Mystery Plays, August

Ferdinand Kingsley will play both God and Jesus opposite Coronation Street villain Graeme Hawley, who takes on the role of the Devil, in the York Mystery Plays to be staged throughout August against the backdrop of the St Mary's Abbey, York. Kingsley and Hawley will be joined by over 2,500 people in the staging of what is believed to be the UK's biggest outdoor theatrical event of 2012. With over 1,700 local volunteers comprising the two casts of community ensemble, musicians, choir and crew, the York Mystery Plays run from 2 to 27 August.

A medieval cycle of plays which have been performed by the people of York for hundreds of years, this adaption by Mike Kenny will be directed by Damian Cruden, reuniting the team that brought the Olivier award-wining The Railway Children to life at Waterloo Station. Cruden is joined by Paul Burbridge as joint Artistic Director of the 2012 York Mystery Plays.

Telling the story of the cosmic battle between good and evil, from creation to the last judgement, the York Mystery Plays have been performed by the people of York for more than 800 years and are a world-famous part of the city's cultural heritage.

Ferdinand Kingsley's previous stage credits include Rosencrantz in Hamlet and Phaex in Welcome to Thebes for The National Theatre. He has appeared at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Troilus and Cressida, Little Eyolf and Romeo and Juliet. In 2007 feature film The Last Legion he was seen as young Ambrosinus, featured in flashbacks to the younger days of Ambrosinus played by his father Ben Kingsley. On television, he will next be seen playing Bushy in Rupert Goold's upcoming adaptation of Richard II.

Graeme Hawley is best known on television for playing John Stape in Coronation Street, a role which was nominated for Best Villain at the 2009 and 2011 British Soap Awards. Hawley has also been seen as PC Martin Crowe in Emmerdale as well as appearances in Shameless and A Touch of Frost, Doctors and Heartbeat. On stage he has performed in a number of productions for the Manchester Library Theatre including Rock n Roll, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Measure for Measure. Most recently, he played the role of Jack in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and Paul in Love and Money, both for Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre.

The stage for this production will be 357 square metres. 3,250 individual items of costume will be used at each performance, having used over 2,300 meters of thread to make them. 1,400 metres of cabling - from the ground to the top of York Minster 19 times – will be used.

The York Mystery Plays are produced by York Theatre Royal, Riding Lights Theatre Company and York Museums Trust and supported by City of York Council.

Performances will be Tuesday - Sunday at 7.30pm and Saturday at 2.30pm 2-27 August. Tickets are £12 to £42 from 01904 623568 or www.yorkmysteryplays2012.com

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