Full Cast Set For The World Premiere of Rob Drummond's PIN AND NEEDLES at The Kiln Theatre

Amit Sharma has announced the full cast for the world première of Rob Drummond's Pins and Needles which opens his first season as Artistic Director at Kiln Theatre. Sharma directs Richard Cant, Gavi Singh Chera, Brian Vernel and Sharlene Whyte.

The production opens on 25 September, with previews from 19 September, and runs until 26 October.

Amit Sharma said today, “Rob and I are thrilled to have assembled this fantastic cast and creative team to create his brand-new play for the stage. The Kiln Theatre is a place for nurturing conversation and provoking debate, and it feels perfect to begin with Pins and Needles which will entice, challenge and entertain our audiences.”

Rob is putting science and scepticism to the test in his new play. For research, he speaks to Mary, a mother trying to make the best decisions for her family, Toby, an angry son who distrusts institutions, and Edward Jenner, the father of modern vaccinations. The more he listens, the more he struggles to keep his own subjectivity off the table, which begs the question – how do you know who to trust?

Rob Drummond, whose plays are ‘utterly unpredictable' (The Stage), explores the politics around vaccines, and the human stories behind them. 

Richard Cant returns to Kiln Theatre to play Edward Jenner – he previously appeared in Handbagged and Wife. His other theatre work includes Chariots of Fire, Talent (Sheffield Theatres), What It Means (The Lot at Wilton's Music Hall), The Vortex (Chichester Festival Theatre), Orlando (MGC at the Garrick Theatre), The Normal Heart, Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear (National Theatre), After Edward, Edward the Second (Shakespeare's Globe), Maydays, Henry VI - Rebellion and Wars of the Roses (RSC), Saint Joan (Donmar Warehouse), My Night with Reg (Donmar Warehouse/Apollo Theatre), Medea (Almeida Theatre), The Trial (Young Vic), War Horse (New London Theatre), and Salome (Headlong). His television credits include Doctor Who, Mapp & Lucia, The Crown, It's a Sin, Silent Witness, Taboo, Outlander, Bleak House and The Way We Live Now; and for film, Take Care, My Policeman, Mary Queen of Scots, and Stan and Ollie.

Gavi Singh Chera plays Rob. His theatre credits include Our Generation (National Theatre/ Chichester Festival Theatre), Behind The Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre), Pygmalion (Headlong), The Cherry Orchard (Yard Theatre / HOME Theatre), Duck and 1922: The Waste Land (Jermyn Street Theatre); as well as numerous West End productions whilst a member of the National Youth Theatre REP Company, including Wuthering Heights, Consensual and The Merchant of Venice. His television credits include Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, The Undeclared War, The Lazarus Project, and Vera; and for film, Blitz, and Kavita and Teresa, and short film, Temple - for which he was nominated for Best Actor in the British Short Film Awards.

Brian Vernel plays Robert. His theatre credits include Mary (Hamstead Theatre), Stories, Certain Young Men – Queer Theatre (National Theatre), Instructions for Correct Assembly (Royal Court), The Seagull (Lyric Hammersmith), Barbarians, Future Conditional (Young Vic), Takin' Over the Asylum (Royal Lyceum/Citizen's Theatre), The Static, Blackout (Corby Cube) and Four Parts Broken (National Theatre Of Scotland/Traverse Theatre/Oran Mor). His television credits include Shardlake, Slow Horses, Gangs of London S1 & S2, Collateral, The Tunnel, Dr Who, The Missing 2, The Last Kingdom, The Casual Vacancy, Grantchester, Prey and The Field of Blood. For film his credits include Kill, Dunkirk, Papillon, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Winter Song, Offender and Let Us Prey.

Sharlene Whyte plays Mary. Her theatre credits include Daddy (Almedia Theatre), The Trick (Bush Theatre), Matilda the Musical (Cambridge Theatre), As Good a Time as Any (Print Room), Wildefire, Born Bad (Hampstead Theatre), NUT (National Theatre), Treasure Island (Theatre Royal, Haymarket), Julius Caesar (Lyric Hammersmith), The Three Birds (Gate Theatre), Arabian Nights (Young Vic/UK tour). Her television credits include Mr Loverman, Sherwood S2, Silent Witness, The Doll Factory, Sandition, Stephen, Small Axe, We Hunt Together, Run, Spooks, The Undisclosed, Adanna Lawal in Waterloo Road, The Story of Tracy Beaker, Tinsel Town, My Hero, Burnside, As If, and Other People's Children. For film her credits include, Eye for an Eye, Perfect 10, Second Coming and Honey Trap.

Rob Drummond is an award-winning playwright and performer who has worked with the most prestigious theatres in the UK; and an associate artist at the Traverse Theatre. His plays include Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Perth Theatre, Macrobert Arts Centre and Eden Court Theatre), Milkshake, The Mack, Eulogy (Òran Mór, Traverse Theatre), Flesh (National Theatre Connections), Our Fathers (Traverse Theatre, Tron Theatre, Scottish tour), Pleading, Top Table, Rolls in Their Pockets (Òran Mór – A Play, A Pie and A Pint), The Majority (National Theatre), Grain in the Blood (Traverse Theatre, Tron Theatre), The Broons (Scottish tour), In Fidelity (HighTide, Traverse Theatre), Uncanny Valley (Edinburgh International Science Festival, Borderline Theatre – CATS Award, Best Production for Children and Young People), Dear Scotland (National Theatre of Scotland), Bullet Catch (Brits Off Broadway 59East59, international tour, Traverse Theatre – Herald Angel Award and Total Theatre Award), Riot of Spring (The Arches Theatre, Glasgow), Quiz Show (Traverse Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland – CATS Award for Best New Play), Rod Drummond: Wrestling (The Arches – Vital Spark Award), Mr Write (NTS, Tron Theatre – CATS Award, Best Production for Children and Young People), Hunter (NTS and Frantic Assembly), Allotment (Govan Shopping Centre), and Sixteen (Arches Theatre Festival). For television his work includes McDonald and Dodds.

Amit Sharma is an international award-winning director of theatre and television. Before joining the Kiln Theatre as Associate Director, he was previously Deputy Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep, Associate Artistic Director at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, and Associate Director at Graeae Theatre Company where his journey into theatre began. Sharma directed the critically acclaimed and sell-out run of Retrograde at the Kiln; and has also directed two productions at The National Theatre - The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Graeae Theatre Company/Theatre Royal Plymouth co-production) and The Boy With Two Hearts (also Wales Millennium Centre). He also co-directed Prometheus Awakes, one of the largest outdoor productions featuring Deaf and disabled artists as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad (Graeae Theatre Company/ Greenwich+Docklands International Festival/ Stockton International Riverside Festival/La Fura Dels Baus); and Aruna and The Raging Sun in Chennai, India as part of UK/INDIA Year of Culture 2017. Sharma is a BAFTA nominated director, for his two films which were part of the Criptales season on BBC and BBC AMERICA. He also co-directed the award-winning BBC and NETFLIX television drama Then Barbara Met Alan (Best Single Drama, 2023 Broadcast Awards). He began his training at Graeae Theatre Company with Missing Piece 1. His other theatre credits include One Under (Graeae Theatre Company/Theatre Royal Plymouth), Cosmic Scallies (Graeae Theatre Company/Royal Exchange Theatre), and Iron Man (Graeae Theatre Company/international tour). His other television work includes Hamish, and Thunderbox. 

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