Matthew Kelly and Simon Greenall to Star in Richard Bean's TOAST at the Park Theatre, Aug 27-Sept 21

The Park Theatre has announced the casting of Matthew Kelly and Simon Greenall in Snapdragon Productions' forthcoming production of Toast by Richard Bean. Snapdragon previously produced the successful Thark with Clive Francis and The Dead Wait.

Directed by Eleanor Rhode, the brilliantly observed, moving and funny play comes from the writer of the international smash hit One Man, Two Guv'nors.

Another Sunday night shift. The smell of bread baking. The industrial thump, thump, thump of the machines that never stop. The ovens are cranked up to full blast, the factory is humming, and everyone wants to be somewhere else.

But this shift is going to be different. Because when a crisis hits the factory, the men have more to lose than just their wages...

Richard Bean's first major play is directed by Rhode, whose credits include the multi-award nominated production of Thark at Park Theatre, and the Time Out Critics' Choice productions of The Drawer Boy and Generous.

Also in the creative team are Set Designer James Turner, Lighting Designer Mike Robertson, Sound Designer Max Pappenheim and Costume Designer Holly Rose Henshaw.

Dates: Previews: 27th Aug 2014; Press night: Fri 29th Aug (7pm); Plays until: 21st Sep 2014. Pay What You Can Night: Tues 9th Sep (in person at the box office from 6pm on the day only, subject to availability). Performances Tues - Sat Evenings 19.30 Sat & Sun Matinees 15.00. Prices: £19.50 Full' £16 Concessions; £15 Previews; £12 Tuesdays for Residents with North London postcodes and Under 25s (Proof required, limited availability). For tickets and more information, click here.

Matthew Kelly (playing Nellie Matthew) won an Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of 'Lenny' in Of Mice and Men (Birmingham Rep and West End). His other theatre credits include Twelfth Night (Liverpool Everyman), To Sir With Love (Royal & Derngate and UK tour), The History Boys (Sheffield Crucible), The Seagull (Southwark Playhouse), God of Carnage (Nuffield, Southampton), Educating Rita (Menier Chocolate Factory and Edinburgh Festival), Legally Blonde, Spamalot (UK tours), Buried Child (Curve Leicester), Waiting For Godot (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Sign Of The Times and Lend Me A Tenor - The Musical (both West End), Comedians (Lyric Hammersmith), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Trafalgar Studios), Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare's Globe), Victory (Arcola Theatre), Amadeus (Wilton's Music Hall), Mirandolina (Manchester Royal Exchange), Endgame (Liverpool Everyman) and Forgotten Voices (Riverside Studios). For television, his work includes Cold Blood, Bleak House, Egypt: The Pharaoh And The Showman and The Temple Of The Sands, Moving On, Benidorm, MI High, My Family At War, Forensic Casebook, City Hospital and Stars in their Eyes; and for film, Showreel, Tribute, Two Stops To Bank and Tortoise.

Simon Greenall (playing Cecil) - Actor, writer and voice artist Simon Greenall will mark his first stage performance for twenty years with Toast. His other theatre credits include Seven Stories (Mermaid Theatre), Merchant of Venice, Woundings and Hannah Smith Casket (Royal Exchange). He is perhaps best known for his role as 'Michael' in the TV series I'm Alan Partridge. His prolific television career has included work with Armando Iannucci, Harry Enfield and Steve Coogan, including roles in Cardinal Burns, W1A, Inspector George Gently, Common People, It's Kevin, Pete vs Life, Trapped, Harry and Paul, Holy Flying Circus, The Impressions Show, The Wrong Door, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Saxondale, Lead Balloon, The Charlotte Church Show, Bremner, Bird and Fortune, Funland, Popetown, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married, Smith and Jones and Barking. His film work includes Alpha Papa, Acts of Godfrey, Wimbledon and Tube Tales.

Snapdragon Productions is led by Producer Sarah Loader and Director Eleanor Rhode. At Park Theatre, Snapdragon produced the revival of Ben Travers' Aldwych Farce Thark, adapted by and starring Clive Francis; and the London premiere of the post-apartheid drama The Dead Wait by Paul Herzberg. Snapdragon was founded in 2009, during Eleanor and Sarah's residencies at the Finborough Theatre. Together, they went on to produce six productions at the Finborough, including the Time Out Critics' Choice production of Generous by Michael Healey; the London Premiere of the multi-award winning The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey which received Time Out's Critics' Choice; the World Premiere of Barrow Hill by new playwright Jane Wainwright; and the first London production in over 30 years of A Life by Hugh Leonard; the multi award-winning European Premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Me and Juliet directed by Thom Southerland; and A Day at the Racists directed by Ryan McBride, which was transferred to the Broadway Theatre Barking, where it was nominated for the 2010 TMA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Regional Theatre. Other previous productions include Anna Karenina at the Arcola Theatre, directed by Max Webster. Productions in development include a No. 1 UK Tour of Thark, a major revival of A Bill of Divorcement by Clemence Dane, the UK debut of Four Places by Joel Drake Johnson and the World premieres of The Session by Andrew Muir and Smolensk by Sarah Grochala. www.snapdragonproductions.com

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