Storyhouse Announce 30-Strong Rep Company For Summer Season

Storyhouse has announced the cast for its new in-house company who will perform in rep, five productions at Chester's multi award-winning theatre cinema and library and outdoors at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre.

It is the largest rep company in the UK outside the RSC or National Theatre. 30 actors and three trainees make up the gender-balanced company.

the company will divide evenly between Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music (5 May - 8 July) and Arthur Miller's The Crucible (15 June - 7 July) and Bryony Lavery's Swallows and Amazons (1 June - 26 August) together with Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (6 July - 25 August) and The Tempest (14 July - 26 August).

Alex Clifton, Artistic Director, Storyhouse said: "33 performers join Storyhouse and make the largest rep company in the UK outside the RSC or National Theatre. Chester is becoming a major centre for culture in the UK, and casting this season has been a joy. Our dynamic and talented company will be here in Chester for the next 6 months, and they're all really excited to join our community to tell these incredible stories.'

Performing in A Little Night Music and The Crucible:

Daniel Flynn as Fredrik and Reverend Parris (Richard II and Translations (Donmar), Emperor And Galilean, Light Shining In Buckinghamshire, 3 Winters, The White Guard, The Madness Of George III, A Chorus Of Disapproval (all National Theatre), Serena Evans as Desiree and Ann Putman (The Ruling Class (Trafalgar Studios), Blithe Spirit (Gielgud Theatre), School For Scandal (Bath), Inadmissible Evidence (Donmar), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare's Globe, UK tour & New York). Gay Soper as Madam Armfeldt (Curious Incident Of Dog In The Night-Time (Apollo and Gielgud), Les Miserables from '88 to '91, (Palace Theatre), Salad Days (Vaudeville) Mother Courage (National Theatre).

Leigh Quinn as Petra and Mary Warren, (Pride and Prejudice (Regent's Park Open Air theatre), Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, Henry V (RSC/Barbican, New York).

Eleanor Sutton as Anne Egerman and Abigail Williams (Amadeus ) (National Theatre)

Matthew Flynn as John Proctor (Bracken Moor (Tricycle Theatre), 55 Days, The Homosexual's Guide To Capitalism And Socialism (Hampstead).

Jonathan Dryden Taylor as Mr Lindquist and Francis Nurse (The Beggar's Opera, Storyhouse, As You Like It, Our Country's Good, Light Shining In Buckinghamshire, King Lear, Othello, The Captain Of Kopenick (all National Theatre)).

Simeon Truby as Mr Erlanson and Giles Corey (The Red Balloon (Birmingham Rep); Warhorse - International Tour (National Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Aldephi Theatre); Merry Wives of Windsor, The Mouse and His Child (RSC).

Freddy Elletson as Frid and Revd John Hale (That Blue Dress - Man Theatre 503),

Richard Lounds as Henrik and Marshal Herrick (L'Etoile du Nord, Kokkola Opera; The House of Usher at The Hope Theatre),

Mary Doherty as Charlotte Malcolm and Elizabeth Proctor (Twelfth Night (National Theatre); Henry VI Trilogy - Shakespeare's Globe, Anne Boleyn - ETT & Shakespeare's Globe, All's Well That Ends Well - Shakespeare's Globe).

Martin Turner as Danforth (Uncle Vanya, (Theatr Clwyd and Sheffield Crucible), The Plague, (Arcola Theatre).

Natasha Bain as Tituba (The Royal Hunt of The Sun (National Theatre), The Lion & The Jewel (Barbican Theatre), The Gondoliers/The Water Babies (Chichester), The Lion King (Lyceum) Merry Wives of Windsor & Twelfth Night (Regents Park Open Air)).

Esme Sears as Mercy Lewis, (State Of Fear: Britain For Breakfast (Southwark Playhouse).

Kayi Ushe as Count Carl Magnus and Cheever (Motown the Musical (Shaftesbury Theatre) The Caterpillar - Wonderland (UK Tour). David Nellist as Thomas Putnam and Judge Hathorne (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, (National Theatre).

Performing in the Shakespearean productions and Bryony Lavery's new version of Swallows and Amazons:

Catherine Cusack as Prospero in The Tempest (Coronation Street).

Returning to Chester: Alex Mugnaioni who was part of Storyhouse's opening rep company as Macheath in The Beggar's Opera and Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Mugnaioni will play Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Also returning to Storyhouse: James Weaver as Don Pedro (Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Storyhouse). Ian Harris as Leonato (As You Like It, Stig of the Dump, Storyhouse) and Aryana Ramkhalawon as Nancy in Swallows and Amazons (The Secret Seven, Storyhouse).

the company also includes Laura Dalgleish as Gonzalo.

Mitesh Soni as Claudio (East is East Octogon), Jack Quarton as Friar Sebastian Wonderland, Nottingham Playhouse), Charlotte Workman as Peggy (The Borrowers, Watermill), Lucy Keirl as Ariel, Emily Pithon as Beatrice (Waiting For God, James Seabright Productions - UK tour) , Callum McIntyre as John (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Romeo and Juliet Bristol Old Vic School) completing the cast is Dominic Rye as Balthasar (Wind in the Willows (Sherman Theatre). Claudia Grant (Harry Potter and The Cursed Child) will play Caliban.

Alongside the 30 actors, three performers are making their professional debut:

Megan Hollie Roberts will be playing Fredrika in A Little Night Music, Lauren Dinsdale Betty in The Crucible and Amy Murphy Susanna in The Crucible.

Storyhouse's Artistic Director Alex Clifton will direct A Little Night Music, with design by Jess Curtis and choreography by Yukiko Masui. Clifton will also direct The Tempest, design by Rhys Jarman. Bill Buckhurst (Sweeney Todd, Barrow Street Theatre, New York) will direct Much Ado About Nothing with design by Rhys Jarman. Geraldine Alexander (Deathwatch, The Print Room) will direct The Crucible design by Jess Curtis and Katie Posner (Made in India) is director for Swallows and Amazons, Jarman also designs.

Tickets are on sale now, go to storyhouse.com to find out more

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