Cast Set For COMPOSITOR E at Omnibus Theatre 

Omnibus Theatre has announced the full cast for Charlie Dupré’s Compositor E as part of the theatre’s 10th Birthday Season. Set in a print shop working on what would become Shakespeare’s First Folio, Compositor E is presented in line with the 400th anniversary of its printing. Artistic Director Marie McCarthy directs Tré Medley (John Leason), Kaffe Keating (Isaac Jaggard) and David Monteith (Richard Bardolph).

Opening on 22 September, with previews from 19 September, and running until 7 October, Compositor E explores the many unlikely fingerprints that write and re-write history. Dupré’s play follows 17-year-old apprentice typesetter, John, working on a commission of Shakespeare’s first-ever complete works as he processes his turbulent upbringing.

Directed by Marie McCarthy; Designer: Sophia Pardon; Assistant Designers: Yijin Li and: Lila Vitos; Lighting Designer and Videographer: Rachel Sampley; Sound Designer: Adam McCready; Dramaturg: Sam Pout; Associate Director: Chris Yarnell; Assistant Director: Joanna Woźnicka; Stage Manager: Meghan Smyth

London 1623. Apprentice typesetter, 17-year-old John arrives to work under the mentorship of ambitious printer Isaac Jaggard on a potentially game-changing new commission - Shakespeare’s first-ever complete works.

As John grapples to stamp a manuscript of ‘Macbeth’ onto the page, fuelled by his dark past, he finds himself weaving his own narrative into the text. But as the ink sets, he begins questioning who the storytellers really are…

Presented in line with the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio, Compositor E celebrates the power of words and explores the many unlikely fingerprints that write and re-write history.

Published by Methuen Drama and long listed for the prestigious Bruntwood Prize.

Charlie Dupré is a graduate of the Jerwood Arvon playwriting mentorship scheme. His spoken word show The Stories of Shakey P premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, before showings at Arcola Theatre, Roundhouse, Trafalgar Studios and Royal Shakespeare Company. His first ensemble play Macblair played at the Brighton and Edinburgh Fringes and was one of The Scotsman’s Top 6 hot picks for political shows. Its sequel Boris Rex (Tristan Bates Theatre) was nominated for an Off-Westend Award in 2019. iTalk (Platypus Theatre), was nominated for the 2022 Ikarus Prize for young people’s theatre in Berlin and A MAP’s Tale for Monstress Mess opened at Neue Bühne Friedrichshain. An earlier draft of Compositor E was longlisted for the Bruntwood Playwriting Prize 2022 and was performed at Vault Festival. The run at Omnibus Theatre marks his first in-house production as playwright.

Kaffe Keating plays Isaac Jaggard. His theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night (US tours), Henry IV (Willow Globe Theatre, Old Red Lion Theatre), Girlband (Matchstick Piehouse), Macbeth (UK tour), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre, international tour), The Secret Seven (Storyhouse, Chester), POSH (Nottingham Playhouse, Salisbury Playhouse), Johnny Got His Gun (Southwark Playhouse), 4 Hours and 37 Minutes (Stichting The English Theatre, The Hague) and Prince of Denmark (National Theatre). His short films include The Alter and Nation Down.

Tré Medley plays John Leason. His theatre credits include Othello, The Importance of Being Earnest (Changeling Theatre tour), The Secret Love Life of Ophelia (Greenwich Theatre online production), and Shakespeare Within the Abbey: All Places that the Eye of Heaven Visits (Westminster Abbey). His television credits include Sink; and for film, Party.

David Monteith plays Richard Bardolph. His theatre credits include Alice in Wonderland (Kew Gardens), Recognition (Talawa Studio), Sleeping Beauty (CAST, Doncaster), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre), Shake Fear/Break Rules, The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, Pericles (Parrabbola Theatre), Shadows (Theatro Technis),  A Midsummer Night’s Dream in New Orleans (Arts Theatre), Play Mas, The Tempest (Orange Tree Theatre), Fences (Theatre Royal Bath), and Topdog/Underdog, Scenes of Love and Laughter, The Last Days of Don Juan, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Blood Wedding, The Plaza Suite and Ruffian on the Stair (City Repertory Theater). His television credits include Killer Cops; and for film, Gassed Up and Pulp.

Marie McCarthy is Artistic Director of Omnibus Theatre, where her directing credits include SAD, The Little Prince, Spring Offensive, Hangmen Rehanged and Dead Boy Café (Omnibus Theatre). Other directing credits include When The Fallen Sang (St Giles in the Fields), The Crucible (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch), Macbeth (Kents Caverns, Torquay), What You Will, Shakespeare’s Sonnets (Shakespeare’s Globe), 1908: Body and Soul (Henley Festival), Pride and Prejudice, The Secret Garden (National tour), Alice in the Walled Garden (Brockwell Park, Sixteen Feet Productions), The Bonds (Oval House Theatre), The Wind in the Willows (UK tour), Regarding X (Old Red Lion), SE1, The Mayday (Lightning Ensemble), The Chess Players (Wandsworth Arts Festival), Dissonant World (Hampstead Town Hall), Like Love (European and American tour), Love and Understanding (Library Theatre, Manchester) and Losing It (Soho Theatre Studio).

 

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