Full Cast Set For The UK Première Of Kate Attwell's TESTMATCH at Orange Tree Theatre

Orange Tree Theatre has announced full casting for the UK première of Kate Attwell's Testmatch. Diane Page directs Aiyana Bartlett (India Two and Daanya), Aarushi Ganju (India One and Messenger), Haylie Jones (England Three and Two), Tanya Katyal (India Three and Abhi), Bea Svistunenko (England One and One) and Mia Turner (England Two and Memsahib). Testmatch opens at the Orange Tree on 24 April and runs until 18 May, with previews from 24 April and will then tour to Octagon Theatre Bolton from 24 May until 1 June, with previews from 23 May.

Diane Page said, “I'm really excited to be directing the UK premiere of Kate Attwell's play Testmatch and to be back again at the Orange Tree. I'm looking forward to working on the play with our fantastic cast and team, and to sharing it with audiences in both Richmond and Bolton.”

Director: Diane Page; Designer: Cat Fuller; Lighting Designer: Rajiv Pattani; Sound Designer: Simon Slater

Cast: Aiyana Bartlett (India Two and Daanya); Aarushi Ganju ((India One and Messenger); Haylie Jones (England Three and Two); Tanya Katyal (India Three and Abhi); Bea Svistunenko (England One and One) and Mia Turner (England Two and Memsahib)

Lord's, present day. The Women's Cricket World Cup: England versus India. There's a rain delay. Stuck in the same locker room together, tensions mount, ambitions are laid bare and a whole new tactical game begins.

Calcutta, 1800. Two British administrators encounter challenges on the field of play that threaten the entire regime.

In this game of integrity and power, past and present collide.

Biographies

Kate Attwell is a playwright, television writer and devised theatre maker. She is currently working on commissions for Manhattan Theatre Club, A.C.T., EST and Playwright's Horizons. Her previous productions include So Long Willy, and her work has been developed at Portland Centre Stage at the Armory, The Bushwick Starr and New York Theatre Workshop.

Aiyana Bartlett plays India Two and Daanya. This marks her UK debut. Her theatre credits include A Hundred Words for Snow (Gothenburg English Studio Theatre). Her television credits include Piglets.

Aarushi Ganju plays India one and Messenger. Her theatre credits Unlocking Canons House (Canons House), Roobaroo (The Space), Henry VII (The show must go on(line)) and Face Off (The UnDisposables). Her television credits include The Three-Body Problem.

Haylie Jones plays England Three and Two. Her theatre credits include Lear (Hope Mill Theatre, Shakespeare North Playhouse), Romeo and Juliet, Little Women, Stig of the Dump (Grosvenor Park Open Air theatre), and A Brew, A Terrace And The 184 (Oldham Coliseum Theatre). Her television credits include Blind Spot, Stay Close, Coronation Street, and The Cup; and for film Wanderland, Public House and Jamais Vu.

Tanya Katyal plays India Three and Abhi. Her theatre credits include The Empress (RSC); and for television Eternally Confused and Eager For Love.

Bea Svistunenko plays England One and One. Her theatre credits include The Tempest (Shakespeare's Globe), Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet (Guildford Shakespeare Company), and A Very Expensive Poison (The Old Vic). Her television credits include 3 Body Problem, Litvinenko, Industry; and for film, Beetlejuice 2 and Cost of Living.

Mia Turner plays England Two and Memsahib. Her theatre credits include Boys (Tabard Theatre).

Diane Page returns to the Orange Tree to direct for a third time, following revered productions of Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman in 2022, and as the 2021 JMK Award winner, directing Statements After An Arrest Under The Immorality Act. Her other credits include The Tempest, Julius Caesar (Shakespeare's Globe.), Lost and Found (Royal Opera House), Out West (Co- director, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre). 

To post a comment, you must register and login.