Mark Gatiss Will Lead The Cast In Nottingham Playhouse's THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III

The Madness of George III, written by Alan Bennett, is an epic, multi award-winning drama. Set in 1788, King George III (played by Mark Gatiss) is the most powerful man in the world. However, his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic; and his mind unravels at a dramatic pace.

As the Queen (played by Debra Gillett) and Prime Minister (played by Nicholas Bishop) attempt to hide the king's illness from his subjects, royal doctors - among them Dr Willis (played by Adrian Scarborough) - hopelessly squabble over the correct cure, subjecting him to torturous medical treatments.

Ambitious politicians and the scheming prince begin a power struggle, endangering the stability of the crown.

Named as a theatre highlight of 2018 by BBC News, the production's cast also includes Wilf Scolding as the Prince of Wales, Harry Kershaw as the Duke of York and Sara Powell as Lady Pembroke.

Taking the role of Captain Fitzroy will be Nadia Albina, while Jack Holden will play Captain Greville.

Amanda Hadingue is confirmed to play leader of the opposition Charles Fox, alongside Stephanie Jacob as Sheridan. Hadingue and Jacob will also be taking on the roles of the royal physicians and Sir Lucas Pepys and Sir George Baker, respectively, and Louise Jameson will be playing Dr Warren.

East Midlands actor Andrew Joshi has been confirmed in the role of Lord Dundas and Billy Postlethwaite is confirmed as Braun.

Papandiek will be played by local actor Jessica Temple, who attended Nottingham Playhouse's general auditions earlier in the year. Thurlow will be played by David Hounslow and Adam Karim is set to play Fortnum.

Director Adam Penford said: "I'm delighted with our talented and illustrious cast which combines actors who have worked at the Playhouse before with several new faces, including performers from the East Midlands.

"I'm also very proud that we have maintained our focus on diverse casting which reflects our audience. This includes our continued emphasis on gender-blind casting. The production is over a year in the planning, I'm really looking forward to rehearsals beginning."

Marking the 70th anniversary of Nottingham Playhouse is a special Gala performance - sponsored by Russell Scanlan - on Thursday 22 November. The gala includes a fundraising auction with money-can't-buy prizes, hosted by Mark Gatiss and Adam Penford, aiming to raise more than £20,000 to support the Playhouse's access and community work and artist development programme.

The Madness of George III runs from Friday 2 November until Saturday 24 November and will be broadcast to cinemas across the globe as part of National Theatre Live on Tuesday 20 November.

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