Robin Weaver & James Dryden to Star in BEACHED at Marlowe Studio

THE CAST has been announced for The Marlowe's first in-house production.

Robin Weaver, whose work includes The Inbetweeners (TV and films), and James Dryden, who appears in the film Mr Turner, lead the cast of Beached, at the Canterbury venue at the end of this month (October).

Beached tells the story of 18-year-old Arty (Dryden), who, at 63 stone, is morbidly obese and the world's fattest teenager. He is a young man literally going nowhere.

All this is set to change when a reality TV crew moves in to ruthlessly document Arty's supposed transformation from bedridden walrus to trousered sophisticate. But with the cameras rolling, something totally unexpected happens - Arty falls in love. Weaver plays Arty's mum, JoJo.

Directed by Justin Audibert, Beached also stars Alison O'Donnell (of the BBC's Shetland series), as social worker Louise, and Rhoda Ofori-Attah as the documentary producer. Audibert is a previous associate of the RSC and winner of the prestigious Leverhulme Bursary.

Beached is written by Australian Melissa Bubnic, who has written for the TV series Shameless and Crackanory.

Beached is produced in association with Paul Jellis. He is an independent producer mostly working in new writing. He is Executive Producer for multi award-winning and internationally-acclaimed new writing company nabokov, a founder of the interactive, immersive and site-specific company Bad Physics and Artistic Associate of HighTide Festival Theatre.

Beached is supported by nearly £23,000 of public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England's Grant for the Arts programme, and philanthropic funding by The Marlowe Theatre Development Trust.

Beached, which contains adult themes and language, is at The Marlowe Studio from Tuesday 28 October to Saturday 1 November, with performances at 8pm and 2pm on the Saturday. There is a free, post-show question-and-answer session on Wednesday. Tickets, priced £12 (concessions available; booking fee applies), are from the Box Office on 01227 787787 or at marlowetheatre.com.

It runs at Soho Upstairs from Tuesday 4 to Sunday 23 November, with evening performances at 7.15pm (Tuesday to Saturday), and matinees on Saturdays (2.45pm) and Sundays (5.30pm). Tickets are £10 and £15 (concessions available), from the Box Office on 020 7478 0100, or sohotheatre.com.

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