Francesca Henry to Star in OUR TOWN, Plus Full Creative

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre have today confirmed the full Creative Team behind Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Our Town. Launching their 2019 season on 16 May, designer Rosie Elnile joins the already announced director, Ellen McDougall. Also confirmed are Sasha Milavic Davies (Movement Director), Orlando Gough (Composer), Lizzie Powell (Lighting Designer), Tom Gibbons (Sound Designer) and David Ridley (Musical Director). Casting is by Jacob Sparrow and Barbara Houseman is Season Associate Director (Voice and Text).

Also confirmed, and featured on the artwork, is Francesca Henry who plays the role of Emily Webb. Francesca recently made her professional debut in The Wolves at Stratford East, also directed by Ellen McDougall. Full casting to be announced in due course.

A Relaxed Performance of Our Town will take place on Thursday 30 May at 2.15pm (gates to the venue will open at 12.45pm). All tickets for this performance will be £25.

Birth; marriage; death. And everything in between. As day breaks on another ordinary day, the townsfolk of Grover's Corners go about their business: newspapers are delivered; people go to work; gardens are tended to. And a boy and girl fall in love. But as life's events unfold and a community comes together, one question remains: "do any human beings ever realise life as they live it? Every, every minute?"

Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Our Town celebrates what it means to be human and the bonds that unite us all.

Our Town is directed by Ellen McDougall, Artistic Director of The Gate Theatre, where credits include Effigies of Wickedness, The Tale of the Unknown Island and Idomeneus. Other recent credits include: The Wolves (Stratford East), Othello (Shakespeare's Globe), The Remains of Maisie Duggan (Abbey Theatre, Dublin), The Glass Menagerie (Headlong), Anna Karenina (Royal Exchange Manchester) and Ivan and the Dogs (Olivier Award-nomination, Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre/Actors Touring Company/Soho).

Designer Rosie Elnile is an Associate Artist at The Gate Theatre, where she won The Stage Debut Award for her design work on The Convert. Other theatre credits include: The Wolves (Stratford East), The Mysteries (Royal Exchange Manchester), Three Sisters (Royal Exchange Manchester/The Yard), Abandon (Lyric Hammersmith) and, as Costume Designer, The American Clock (Old Vic).

Movement direction is by Sasha Milavic Davies. A founding member and Artistic Associate of The Yard, Sasha makes work in the UK, France, Serbia, and Germany. Recent theatre, as Movement Director/Choreographer includes: Berberian Sound Studio (Donmar Warehouse), Touching the Void (Bristol Old Vic), Pity (Royal Court), The Writer (Almeida) and Jubilee (Royal Exchange, Manchester / Lyric, Hammersmith).

Music composition is by Orlando Gough who, as a composer, lyricist, librettist, music director and recording engineer, writes opera and choral music, and creates large-scale site-specific work.

Lighting Designer Lizzie Powell, has recently worked on productions including Mother Courage and Anna Karenina (Royal Exchange Manchester), Macbeth (RSC), Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (National Theatre of Scotland/Duke of York's) and Country Girls (Chichester Festival). She has also worked extensively with Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and National Theatre of Scotland.

Sound Design is by Tom Gibbons, whose recent work includes: All About Eve (Noel Coward), The Wild Duck (Almeida), The Madness of George III (Nottingham Playhouse), The Woods (Royal Court) and Home, I'm Darling (National Theatre/Theatr Clwyd). Tom won the Olivier Award for Best Sound Design for People, Places and Things (Young Vic/Wyndham's).

Casting Director Jacob Sparrow is part of the internal casting department at the National Theatre, and has worked on their productions including: Hadestown, Pericles, Follies and Amadeus. Musical Director, David Ridley has previously worked on The Duchess of Malfi and Miss Littlewood (RSC), Jane Eyre (National Theatre/Bristol Old Vic) and Last Five Years (Tobacco Factory) and, continuing her work with the Open Air Theatre, Barbara Houseman is Season Associate Director (Voice and Text).

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