Jeremy Herrin Directs CHILDREN’S CHILDREN, Opening Tonight, May 17

Jeremy Herrin directs the World Premiere of Matthew Dunster's Children's Children running at the Almeida from tonight, 17 May – 30 June 2012. Designs are by Robert Innes Hopkins with lighting by Neil Austin and sound by Ian Dickinson.

The cast comprises Emily Berrington (Effie), Beth Cordingly (Louisa), Darrell D'Silva (Michael), Trevor Fox (Gordon), John MacMillan (Castro) and Sally Rogers (Sally).

Michael and Gordon have been best friends since acting college. Now, 20 years later, Michael is Mr Saturday Night TV but failing actor Gordon is struggling with enormous debts. Meanwhile Gordon's daughter Effie couldn't care less about her Dad's problems – she is far more interested in the film that her cool boyfriend is making and setting up an ecologically sound clothing label. When Gordon asks Michael to lend him a large sum of money it sets in motion a series of events that reveal irreparable cracks in the characters' relationships.

Emily Berrington (Effie) is in her final year at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where her credits include Hamlet, A Woman of No Importance and The Seagull. She is currently filming Michael Winterbottom's King of Soho alongside Anna Friel and Steve Coogan.

Beth Cordingly (Louisa) has appeared most recently in A Round Heeled Woman at the Aldwych, Once Bitten for the Orange Tree Theatre, Semi Monde at the Lyric and both the theatre production (Menier Chocolate Factory) and film adaptation of Breakfast With Jonny Wilkinson (Funnyman Films). Her other film and television credits include Two Men Went To War, How TV Ruined Your Life, Merlin and Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Darrell D'Silva (Michael) was part of the Royal Shakespeare Company ensemble between 2009-11 during which time he played Mark Anthony in both Anthony and Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. His other theatre credits include The Lying Kind for the Royal Court and RoyAl Hunt of the Sun and The Rose Tattoo for The National Theatre. His television credits include Trial and Retribution, Criminal Justice and Spooks and his film credits include Dirty Pretty Things and Closer to the Moon.

Trevor Fox (Gordon) has previously worked with Jeremy Herrin in Toast, Two's Company and NE1 for Live Theatre Company. His other theatre credits include The Pitmen Painters for The National Theatre, on Broadway and at the Duchess Theatre, The Cherry Orchard for Oxford Stage Company and Billy Elliot The Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre. His television credits include Diamond Geezer, Northern Lights and Doctors and on film his credits include Billy Elliot, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Sub Zero.

John MacMillan (Castro) was nominated for the Ian Charleson award for his roles in Hamlet at the Donmar Warehouse and Macbeth at the Royal Exchange Theatre. He was last at the Almeida in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and was previously seen in Cheek by Jowl's production of Cymbeline. His television credits include Silk, Hustle and Sherlock. His film credits include The Dark Knight Rises, Hanna and Heartless.

Sally Rogers' (Sally) theatre credits include The Duchess of Malfi, Billy Liar and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui for The National Theatre as well as Uganda and The People are Friendly at the Royal Court. Her television credits include Little Britain, Come Fly with Me and Attachments. Her film credits include Top Dog, A Demon in My View and A Short History of Ten Pin Bowling.

Playwright, director and actor Matthew Dunster's writing credits include a new adaptation of Saturday Night Sunday Morning which opened at the Royal Exchange Theatre last month. Previously his adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's The Most Incredible Thing was produced at Sadler's Wells Theatre. His play You Can See The Hills received its world premiere at the Royal Exchange Theatre before a transfer to the Young Vic. His production of Doctor Faustus ran at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre last summer and his production of Mogadishu opened at the Royal Exchange Theatre before transferring to the Lyric Hammersmith. For The National Theatre he has directed Love The Sinner.

Jeremy Herrin is Associate Director of the Royal Court where he directed the UK premiere of David Hare's The Vertical Hour as well as Richard Bean's The Heretic and Polly Stenham's award-winning That Face which subsequently transferred to the West End. His Shakespeare's Globe production of Much Ado About Nothing, his Royal Court production of Joe Penhall's Haunted Child and his West End production of Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden all opened in 2011. His production of David Hare's South Downs, which opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre last year, comes to the West End next month and his production of Alan Ayckbourn's Absent Friends continues at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 14 April 2012. Children's Children marks Herrin's directorial debut at the Almeida.

http://www.almeida.co.uk/event/children

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