Joshua Jenkins to Lead THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME UK Tour

The National Theatre's multi award-winning production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, directed by Tony Award winning Marianne Elliott and adapted by Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon's best-selling novel, opened in New York to a rapturous reception.

Meanwhile, the West End production continues to attract plaudits at the Gielgud Theatre in London, where it recently extended bookings to May 2015.

Casting is announced for the production of Curious which will tour the UK and Ireland from December 2014. On the tour, the central role of Christopher will be played by Joshua Jenkins. He is joined by Geraldine Alexander as Siobhan, Chris Ashby (alternate Christopher), Emmanuelle Cole (Punk Girl), Edward Grace (Mr Thompson), Gina Isaac (Judy) and Stuart Laing (Ed). Further casting is yet to be announced.

Joshua Jenkins makes his National Theatre debut as Christopher. His previous credits include: Dunsinane for the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre of Scotland. Geraldine Alexander's TV work includes: Father Brown, Shetland, and the original series of Taggart. This year she played Eleanor of Aquitaine in Holy Warriors at the Globe Theatre. Chris Ashby recently appeared in New Tricks; Emmanuella Cole appeared in Danton's Death for the National Theatre and the title role in Amanda at the Young Vic. Edward Crace's credits include: Enduring Song (Southwark Playhouse) and Dirty Money on film. Gina Isaac recently played Brenda in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester and Sarah in Ricky Gervais' Derek. Stuart Laing's credits include How TV Ruined my Life and Spooks.

The extensive 31-city tour of the UK begins previews in December 2014 in Salford, with a press night at the Lowry on Friday 9 January 2015.

The tour will then continue to the New Theatre, Hull, the Grand Opera House, York, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury, the Royal & Derngate, Northampton, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff, Bradford Alhambra, Festival Theatre Edinburgh, Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, Birmingham Hippodrome, Curve Theatre, Leicester, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, Hall for Cornwall, Truro, New Theatre, Oxford, Liverpool Empire, Bristol Hippodrome, Sunderland Empire, Glasgow Kings Theatre, Leeds Grand Theatre, His Majesty's Theatre Aberdeen, Norwich Theatre Royal, Sheffield Lyceum, Bord Gais Theatre, Dublin, Grand Opera House, Belfast, Bath Theatre Royal and finally Milton Keynes Theatre in November 2015.

Simon Stephens' adaptation of Mark Haddon's best-selling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time received seven Olivier Awards last year, including Best New Play, Best Director, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design. It also won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Theatre and has been seen by over 300,000 people during its run in the West End.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is directed by Marianne Elliott. The production is designed by Bunny Christie, with lighting by Paule Constable, video design by Finn Ross, movement by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph.

This creative team begin rehearsals for the UK tour almost as soon as they come back from opening the show in New York.

Marianne Elliott is an Associate Director of the National Theatre where her productions have included: War Horse (co-directed with Tom Morris), The Light Princess, Port, Season's Greetings, All's Well that Ends Well, Harper Regan, Saint Joan (Olivier Award for Best Revival, South Bank Show Award for Theatre), and Pillars of the Community (Evening Standard Award for Best Director). Marianne was consultant director on The Elephantom for the National Theatre and also recently directed Sweet Bird of Youth for the Old Vic with Kim Cattrall.

Mark Haddon's novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was published in 2003. It was the winner of more than 17 literary awards, including prizes in Japan, Holland and Italy as well as the Whitbread Book of the Year Award in the UK in 2004, and was translated into 44 languages. A Spot of Bother, published in 2006, was also an international bestseller. As well as writing fiction, Mark Haddon's first work for the theatre, Polar Bears, was produced by the Donmar Warehouse in 2010. He has written 15 books for children, published a first collection of poetry in 2005 and is an illustrator and award-winning screenwriter. The Red House, Mark Haddon's new novel was recently published by Vintage in paperback.

Simon Stephens' play Birdland recently ran at the Royal Court Theatre with Andrew Scott in the central role. Blindsided premiered at the Royal Exchange in Manchester earlier this year. His play Port (originally produced at the Royal Exchange and also directed by Marianne Elliott) was revived at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre last year. His other plays for the National are Harper Regan and On the Shore of the Wide World (co-production with Royal Exchange, Manchester: Olivier Award for Best New Play). His many other plays include Three Kingdoms, Wastwater, Punk Rock, Seawall, Pornography, Country Music, Christmas and Herons; A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky (co-written with Robert Holman and David Eldridge); an adaptation of Jon Fosse's I Am the Wind and Motortown. His version of A Doll's House for the Young Vic transferred to the West End and then New York in 2014. Simon is an Associate at the Lyric, Hammersmith.

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