Full Cast Set for Gate Theatre's THE CHRISTIANS

With Elinor Cook's Image of an Unknown Young Woman about to open at the Gate, Artistic Director Christopher Haydon today announces the full company for his production of the UK première of Lucas Hnath's The Christians - William Gaminara (Pastor), Jaye Griffiths (Pastor's Wife), Stefan Adegbola (Associate Pastor), Lucy Ellinson (Congregant) and David Calvitto (Elder). Also announced today, ahead of performances at the Gate Theatre, the production plays at the Traverse as part of this year's Edinburgh Festival from 3 to 30 August.

For the last twenty years, Pastor Paul has been building his church.

Starting in a modest storefront, he now presides over a flock of thousands. Idolised by his followers, today should be a day for joy and celebration. But the sermon that Paul is about to preach will shake the very foundations of his followers' beliefs. As fractures spread throughout his congregation, Paul must fight to prevent his church from tearing itself apart.

This is the UK première of Lucas Hnath's remarkable exploration of faith and community in the modern world. Featuring a full-scale community choir, it asks profound questions about what we believe and why.

Lucas Hnath's plays include Red Speedo (Studio Theatre, DC), A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney (Soho Rep), Nightnight (2013 Humana Festival), Isaac's Eye (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Death Tax (2012 Humana Festival, Royal Court Theatre), and The Courtship of Anna Nicole Smith (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Lucas has been a resident playwright at New Dramatists since 2011 and is also a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre. Lucas has been the recipient of the 2012 Whitfield Cook Award for Isaac's Eye and a 2013 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award Citation for Death Tax. His work has been commissioned by a variety of organisations from the EST/Sloan Project, Actors Theatre of Louisville, South Coast Repertory, Playwrights Horizons, New York University's Graduate Acting Program, and the Royal Court Theatre. Hnath holds a BFA and MFA from New York University's Department of Dramatic Writing.

William Gaminara returns to the Gate to play Pastor - he previously appeared in The Body of An American. He began his career playing seasons in repertory in the UK and with the Chung Ying Theatre, a half Chinese and half British company in Hong Kong. For theatre, his work includes Oppenheimer, The Shoemakers holiday (R.S.C), 12 Angry Men (West End), The Children's Hour (National Theatre), Broadway Bound and The Single Man (Greenwich Theatre), and Bloody Poetry (Hampstead Theatre). Perhaps best known for his role as Professor Leo Dalton in eleven series of Silent Witness, Gaminara's other television work includes as series regulars in Casualty, The House of Eliott and Attachments; and appearances in Spooks and People Like Us. His film work includes Leave To Remain, Comrades and Paradise Postponed.

Jaye Griffiths plays Pastor's Wife. Her theatre work includes Don't Wake Me: The Ballad of Nihal Armstrong (St James Theatre and Edinburgh Festival), Clytemnestra (Sherman Cymru), Salome (Headlong), Category, Seize the Day (Tricycle Theatre) and Othello (Cheek by Jowl). For television, her work includes Doctor Who, Timeless, The Starlings, Sherlock, Skins, Criminal Justice, Kingdom and series regular in Doctors, The Bill and Always and Everyone.

Stefan Adegbola plays Associate Pastor. His theatre work includes The Merchant of Venice, The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare's Globe), Widower's Houses (Orange Tree Theatre), Othello (Riverside Studios), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (MGC at the Noel Coward). His television work includes Doctor Who.

Lucy Ellinson returns to the Gate to play Congregant. Her previous credits for the Gate include Grounded (also Edinburgh Festival, Washington DC, Sweden, national tour), Trojan Women and Tenet (Gate Theatre and Greyscale). Other theatre credits include World Factory (Young Vic), Money: The Game Show (Unlimited Theatre and Bush Theatre), Oh the Humanity! and other good intentions (Northern Stage and Soho Theatre), A Thousand Shards of Glass (Jane Packman Co), Presumption (Third Angel, UK/international tour), Land Without Words (UK/international tour), 3rd Ring Out (Metis Arts), Where We Meet, Who We Are, Speed death of the Radiant Child and Home-made (Chris Goode), They Only Come at Night and Helium (Slung Low) and Monsters (Arcola). Radio credits include 15 Minutes Live and The Fall. Lucy is an associate artist with Third Angel and Forest Fringe. Her solo work includes One minute manifesto, Kaidan and #TORYCORE.

David Calvitto plays Elder. His theatre work includes 12 Angry Men (Garrick Theatre), Americana Absurdum (Menier Chocolate Factory), These Shining Lives (Park Theatre), and Horse Country (Riverside Studios). This is his 20th show at the Edinburgh Festival - he has appeared in six Fringe First winning productions and been nominated five times in three categories for The Stage Acting Excellence Awards for the fringe: three times for Best Actor -winning in 2002 for Horse Country by CJ Hopkins- once for Best Solo Show (The Event- 2009) and once in the Best Ensemble category (Americana Absurdum- 2000). He also produced the Fringe First winner The Event which also won the Adelaide Fringe Best Actor Award.

Artistic Director Christopher Haydon directs. His work for the Gate includes Image of an Unknown Young Woman, The Edge of Our Bodies, Grounded (also Edinburgh Festival, Washington DC, Sweden and on UK tour), Purple Heart, The Trojan Women, The Prophet and Wittenberg. He was formerly an Associate Director at the Bush Theatre and with On Theatre. He studied at Cambridge University and trained at Central and the NT Studio. In 2007 he received both the inaugural Chichester Festival Theatre Heller Fellowship and the Channel Four Theatre Director's Bursary at the Salisbury Playhouse. Other credits include Twelve Angry Men (Birmingham Rep, West End and UK tour), Sixty Six Books, In The Beginning (Bush Theatre/ Westminster Abbey), A Safe Harbour for Elizabeth Bishop (Southbank Centre), Grace, Pressure Drop - starring Billy Bragg (On Theatre), Deep Cut (Sherman Cymru/National Tour), Monsters, Notes from Underground (Arcola Theatre), A Number (Salisbury Playhouse), The Stone (RWCMD). He recently directed a short film for the Guardian/Royal Court called Devil In The Detail. He has co-edited three books; Conversations on Religion, Conversations on Truth and Identity and Identification. Haydon has written for The Guardian, The Scotsman, The New Statesman, The FT, The Independent and Prospect Magazine.

As part of their on-going GATE EDUCATE programme, the Gate will also be presenting a series of singing workshops inspired by The Christians, both in London and Edinburgh. These workshops will be open to all members of the public and aim to inspire everyday creativity through singing. Further details will be announced shortly.

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