Further Details Announced For GOING THE DISTANCE, Premiering Digitally In October

Full casting has been announced for GOING THE DISTANCE - the world premiere of a digital production of a new comedy by Henry Filloux-Bennett and Yasmeen Khan, available on demand from 4 - 17 October 2021.

Sara Crowe stars as 'Em, Nicole Evans as 'Billie', Shobna Gulati as 'Vic', Sarah Hadland as 'Rae', Merch Husey as 'Kem, Matthew Kelly as 'Frank', Emma McDonald as 'Gail', and Penny Ryder as 'Maggie' with Stephen Fry as the 'Narrator'.

Stephen Fry - who appeared in The Understudy, What a Carve Up and The Picture of Dorian Gray - said, "My involvement with the Lawrence Batley Theatre over three brilliantly imaginative, innovative and original lockdown dramas was one of the features that made the months of sourdough, banana bread and general weirdness bearable. Henry Filloux-Bennett and his team managed to find the heart of what theatre and dramatic performance are even in the heart of a tumultuously difficult and uncertain time. It helped so many of us keep the faith in theatre and what it can be."

Directed by Felicity Montagu (best known for her role as 'Lynn' in I'm Alan Partridge, as well as numerous stage and screen credits). GOING THE DISTANCE is a co-production from the Lawrence Batley Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, The Dukes and The Watermill Theatre.

When there's no light at the end of the tunnel and the chips are down, you can count on Matchborough Community Theatre to fight back...

March 2020. Theatres across the country go dark. Hundreds of cherished arts centres face the prospect of permanent closure. But that isn't going to stop the Matchborough Community Theatre... as they fight to save their local venue with the genius idea to put on a fundraising production of Wizard* (*inspired by but for rights purposes certainly not based on The Wizard of Oz).

Get ready for a brand new comedy about a little theatre with a huge challenge.

The launch of GOING THE DISTANCE comes hot on the heels of the huge success of other critically acclaimed digital productions adapted by Filloux-Bennett, including What A Carve Up! in October 2020, The Picture of Dorian Gray in March 2021, and most recently Yasmeen Khan's adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest, produced by The Lawrence Batley Theatre and The Dukes Lancaster.

Yasmeen Khan said, "Going the Distance has been a joyous project on every level; the digital format allowed us to create a hugely ambitious show that responds to all of the challenges presented by COVID-19 over the last 18 months. The story itself celebrates theatre and showcases the power of community in the face of adversity, and the cast and crew could not have done more to make it all come together."

Felicity Montagu adds, "To be directing for the first time is one thing but to be directing a cast of such exciting stature is another. The magic they created had me laughing and crying in equal measures. I think they will cast a spell on whoever watches Going The Distance."

Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased at goingthedistanceplay.com. Bookers will receive a screening link which will allow access for their booked performance date for a 48-hour period. Tickets are priced at £15 which will include both a link to the production as well as a digital programme. Audio description and closed captioning will be made available for the production during its run.

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