Full Casting Announced For The National Theatre's Production Of NINE NIGHT At The Trafalgar Studios

The National Theatre have today announced the full cast for Nine Night, Natasha Gordon's critically acclaimed play which will transfer from the National Theatre to the Trafalgar Studios on 1 December 2018 (press night 6 December) in a co-production with Trafalgar Theatre Productions. Natasha Gordon will take the role of Lorraine in her debut play, for which she has recently been nominated for the Best Writer Award in The Stage newspaper's 'Debut Awards'. She is joined by Oliver Alvin-Wilson (Robert), Michelle Greenidge (Trudy), also nominated in the Stage Awards for Best West End Debut, Hattie Ladbury (Sophie), Rebekah Murrell (Anita) and Cecilia Noble (Aunt Maggie) who return to their celebrated NT roles, and Karl Collins (Uncle Vince) who completes the West End cast.

Directed by Roy Alexander Weise (The Mountaintop), Nine Night is a touching and exuberantly funny exploration of the rituals of family. Gloria is gravely sick. When her time comes, the celebration begins; the traditional Jamaican Nine Night Wake. But for Gloria's children and grandchildren, marking her death with a party that lasts over a week is a test. Nine rum-fuelled nights of music, food, storytelling and laughter - and an endless parade of mourners.

The production is designed by Rajha Shakiry, with lighting design by Paule Constable, sound design by George Dennis, movement direction by Shelley Maxwell, company voice work and dialect coaching by Hazel Holder, and the Resident Director is Jade Lewis.

Nine Night is Natasha Gordon's first play as a writer and this transfer will make her the first black British female playwright to have a play staged in the West End. As an actor, her work in theatre includes Red Velvet (Tricycle); The Low Road and Clubland (Royal Court); Mules and Exception and the Rule (Young Vic); Luce (Southwark Playhouse); and As You Like It (RSC). Film includes No Dogs and Dough. TV includes Class; Eastenders; Line of Duty; Danny and the Human Zoo; You, Me and the Apocalypse; Secret Words; and Law and Order: UK.

Oliver Alvin-Wilson's work in theatre includes The Red Barn, Emperor and Galilean and All's Well That Ends Well at the National; Seven Ages of Poetry for the RSC; The Twilight Zone at the Almeida;Hamlet for Hamletscenen; A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Young Vic; Othello at the Stafford Gatehouse; A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Henry V for Propeller; Antigone, Romeo and Juliet and This Child for Pilot; Doctor Faustus for West Yorkshire Playhouse; Blue/Orange on UK tour for ATG; Antony and Cleopatra for Nuffield; To Kill a Mockingbird for Theatr Clwyd and on tour; Pigeon Lover at The Space; and Much Ado About Nothing for Derby Live. TV includes The Rebel, Collateral, Lovesick, From Cradle to the Grave, Misfits, Hollyoaks and Casualty.

Karl Collins' work in theatre includes Fuente Ovejuna at the National Theatre; Shebeen at Nottingham Playhouse and Theatre Royal Stratford East; One Monkey Don't Stop No Show, Category B, Seize the Day, Detaining Justice, Fabulation and How Long is Never? Darfur at the Tricycle; The 11th Capital at the Royal Court; The Measles at Gate, Notting Hill; and Chimerica at the Almeida and in the West End. TV includes Hollyoaks, This is England 90, Transporter, Our Zoo, The Driver, By Any Means, The Doors, Youngers, Blackout, Holby City, Black Mirror: The Entire History of You, The Fades, Death in Paradise, Come Fly with Me, 2012, Excluded, Shelfstackers, Casualty, Doctor Who, Silent Witness, New Street Law, The Visit, 55 Degrees North, A Thing Called Love, Grease Monkeys, The Bill and Metrosexuality. Films include The Ones Below, The Unloved, Life and Lyrics, Greenwich Mean Time, TwentyFourSeven and Robert Rylands' Last Journey. Michelle Greenidge's work in theatre includes At the Feet of Jesus and Super Skinny Bitches for Angelic Tales at Theatre Royal Stratford East; House for Clean Break at the Edinburgh Festival and The Yard; All Saints for Furious Theatre at the King's Head; Stopcock and Do You Pray? at Southwark Playhouse and Theatre503; The Distance Between Us at Park Theatre; People Who Need People for Out of Spite at Vault Festival; and TheHouse They Grew Up In for Headlong and Chichester. TV includes Casualty, Doctors, Invaders, Venus Vs Mars and All About the McKenzies. Film includes The Intent, The Come Up, Perceptions and Free (for Stonewall charity), and the short films Sorry We Don't Help Darkies, Class 15, Crude, Nadia (for Centrepoint), The Inventor and Red Room. She also attended Sundance 2018 as the lead in one of its screened shorts. Michelleis a regular performer and ambassador for Clean Break.

Hattie Ladbury trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her work in theatre includes The Norman Conquests, Canvas and An Ideal Husband at Chichester; Running Wild, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Lady Be Good and To Kill a Mockingbird at Regent's Park; Much Ado About Nothing at Queen's, Hornchurch; The Deep Blue Sea at the Watermill, Newbury; The Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare's Globe; The Web Project at the Young Vic; The Seven Year Itch, The Game of Love and Chance, The Winslow Boy and The Mayor of Casterbridge at Salisbury Playhouse; Private Lives at the New Wolsey; Tejas Verdes at Gate, Notting Hill; The Comedy of Errors at Sheffield Crucible; The Importance of Being Earnest at Theatre Royal, Bath; Candida, After the Dance and A Midsummer Night's Dream for Oxford Stage Company; After Mrs Rochester for Shared Experience at the Duke of York's; Top Girls at Battersea Arts Centre and at the Aldwych; Romeo and Juliet for Wild Thyme; The Fire Raisers at Southwark Playhouse; Tess of the D'Urbervilles for Forest Forge; and Absent Friends at Harrogate. TV includes Sherlock, EastEnders, Call the Midwife, Holby City, Doctors, Hollyoaks, Casualty 1906, Midsomer Murders, The Worst Week of My Life, Family Affairs and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Film includes The Black Forest, A Street Cat Named Bob, Mrs Brown, Death of a Pet (short) and Emily (short).

Rebekah Murrell trained at the National Youth Theatre, Tricycle Young Company, The Actors Class and ALT. Her work in theatre includes The Host for the National Youth Theatre; Puppy for Little Bit Fierce atthe Vaults; Switch at the Tricycle; and Exotic Tastes at the Arcola. TV includes Being Victor, Myths and The Roman Mysteries. Cecilia Noble trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her work in theatre includes The Amen Corner (for which she was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress; Evening Standard Award for Best Supporting Actress; WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actress), His Dark Materials, Henry V and The Recruiting Officer at the National; and The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night and The Tempest for the RSC. TV includes Black Mirror, Call the Midwife, Undercover, Together, Nurse, Our Girl, Silent Witness, Death in Paradise, Waking the Dead, EastEnders, Doctors and Holby City. Film includes Dead in a Week, The Lady In The Van, Danny and the Human Zoo (MViSA Award for Best Actress), Kaleidoscope, Of Mary, New Year's Day, Native and Mrs Caldicott's Cabbage War.

Director Roy Alexander Weise is the 19th annual winner of the James Menzies-Kitchin Award. His work for the NT includes Dead Don't Floss. Other theatre includes Br'er Cotton (Theatre 503); The Mountaintop (Young Vic); Jekyll and Hyde (National Youth Theatre); Heretic Voices (Arcola); The Ugly One (Park Theatre, Buckland Theatre Company); The Dark (Fuel and Ovalhouse); Zero for the Young Dudes (Young & Talented in association with NT Connections); Primetime (Royal Court); and Stone Face (Finborough Theatre). Other theatre as assistant director includes: X, Escaped Alone, Hangmen (also West End); Violence and Son, You for me for you, Primetime 2015, Who Cares, and Liberian Girl (Royal Court); Albion, and We are Proud to Present... (Bush Theatre); The Serpents Tooth (Talawa / Almeida Theatre). For television, Roy was Trainee Director on Invisible for Channel 4. Roy is Associate Director at the Harts Theatre Company and lead acting tutor at Young and Talented School of Stage and Screen.