Snooker Player John Astley to Make Stage Debut in Richard Bean's THE NAP at the Crucible

Former pro snooker player John Astley is among the full cast of Richard Bean's new play THE NAP, set to premiere at the Crucible Theatre starring SKINS' Jack O'Connell. The Daily Mail writes that Astley will be making his acting debut when the show begins on March 10 in Sheffield. The production, directed by Richard Wilson, runs through March 26, 2016.

Sheffield Artistic Director Daniel Evans was obviously successful in his attempt to enlist a professional snooker player to consult on the production. If you have no idea what snooker is (it's a pool-esque game), peruse the Wikipedia entry here.

O'Connell previously described THE NAP to the Daily Mail, calling it "a very endearing play about a world I'm not experienced in, but word on the street is that it can be quite a dark, sometimes secluded, way of life." The actor went on to rave about the premiere being in Sheffield, saying, "Sheffield is the world centre for snooker!"

O'Connell will play 'Dylan', despite not being as talented at the game as his character, who he says "worships the sport as a religion" and "never cheats; and he'd never do anything to disrupt the flow of the game."

Also in the cast are Mark Addy, Ralf Little, Chris Brailsford, Esther Coles, Louise Gold, Dermot Crowley, Youssef Kerkour and Rochenda Sandall.

Image from Wikipedia