31.07.2024
Cast announced for RTST National Tour of Mike Leigh’s Cult-Classic Abigail’s Party
A sparkling new production of Mike Leigh’s cult-classic comedy, Abigail’s Party will premiere at Northern Stage in September, then on to Mercury Theatre, Blackpool Grand and Rose Theatre.
Jack Bradfield, winner of the prestigious RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award presented by Sir Ian McKellen, will bring a fresh new perspective to Leigh’s ground-breaking play which garnered cult status following the 1977 BBC TV Play for Today starring Alison Steadman.
An award-winning playwright and director, Jack is Artistic Director of Poltergeist and is currently Associate Director on Player Kings in the West End and on tour. He said, “I’m thrilled to be reviving Mike Leigh’s savage suburban comedy. We’re ratcheting up the awkward, the inappropriate, the unbearable and the plain strange, and staging the play in a whole new way. At Northern Stage and across the country, our incredible cast and creative team are going to light a fire under this classic and bring it bright and burning into 2024.“
CHAYA GUPTA – ANGELA
Chaya trained at LAMDA. Since graduating in 2023 her credits include We’ll Have Nun of It (Sarah/Drums) Underbelly Edinburgh Fringe; Hansel & Gretel (Gretel) Shakespeare’s Globe; Scenes from Rent (Mimi/Drums) Curve; The Government Inspector (Connie Swashprattle) Marylebone Theatre.
LAURA ROGERS – BEVERLY
Theatre includes: When Winston Went To War With The Wireless (Donmar Warehouse); Pressure (Mirvish, Jonathan Church Productions); Murder on the Orient Express (Chichester Festival Theatre, Bath Theatre Royal); The Ocean at the End of the Lane (National Theatre, Duke of York’s Theatre). Film includes: Love Me Do. Television includes: Grantchester; Doctors; Eastenders; Holby City; New Tricks; The Smoke; Law & Order UK; Dates; Dark Matters; Twelfth Night; Dr Who Christmas Special.
LEANDER DEENY – LAURENCE
Leander trained at LAMDA. Theatre credits include: Wuthering Heights (Northampton, Northern Stage); The Great Christmas Feast (The Lost Estate); The Wonderful World of Dissocia (Stratford East); The Tempest and Henry
V (Shakespeare’s Rose,York); Robin Hood (Watermill); The Rover, Two Noble Kinsmen (RSC); The Dying of Today (The Other Room, Cardiff); The Secret Agent (Young Vic); Dead Kid Songs (Ustinov, Bath); The Misanthrope (Liverpool Playhouse); Bugsy Malone, Brief Encounter (Secret Cinema); The Man (Finborough); The Merchant of Venice, Holding Fire! (Shakespeare’s Globe). Television includes: Skins; Merlin; Endeavour; Doctors; Holby City. Film includes: Atonement; Captain America. He has published one novel: Hazel’s Phantasmagoria.
AMY ROCKSON – SUSAN
Theatre includes: Mrs Darling in Wendy and Peter Pan (Leeds Playhouse); Montjoy in Henry V (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory/Theatre Royal Bath); Duchess/Scholar in Doctor Faustus (RSC/Swan Theatre/Barbican London); Charmian in Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare Live! from the RSC/ BBC live broadcast); Elvira in Blithe Spirit (York Theatre Royal), Titania/ Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory), Lady Sneerwell in The School for Scandal (Greenwich Theatre). Film and television include: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix); The Sandman (Netflix); Holby City (BBC); Doctors (BBC).
JOE BLAKEMORE – TONY
Joe Blakemore is a Geordie actor and graduated from RADA in 2014. Joe’s previous film and television credits include: Giants (Andy Berriman/BFI Short); Jackdaw (Jamie Childs/Anton Ltd); Hijack (Apple TV); The Hunt for Raoul Moat (ITV); The Third Day (HBO); Last Christmas (Paul Feig/Universal), Emmerdale (ITV); Next of Kin (Mammoth Screen/ITV); Stan Lee’s Lucky Man (Carnival/Sky); Vera (ITV); The Drug Trial: Emergency at the Hospital (Raw); The Levelling (Hope Dickson Leach/Wellington Films); Banged Up Abroad (Raw/NatGeo); Doctors (BBC). Previous theatre: Hyem (Theatre503 & Northern Stage 2017); The Duchess of Malfi (Vivid Theatre at Arc Stockton 2009).
JACK BRADFIELD – DIRECTOR
Jack is a director, writer, founder of Poltergeist Theatre, and winner of the 2023 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award. His work as writer and director includes: Alice in Wonderland (Brixton House); Art Heist (New Diorama – recipient of the Untapped Award 2019); Lights Over Tesco Car Park (New Diorama – recipient of the Samuel French New Play Award 2018). His work as an Associate/Assistant Director includes: Player Kings (Noël Coward Theatre); Pygmalion (Old Vic), Hamlet (Oresteia); Park Avenue Armory (Kinderen Van Nora, ITA).
ANNA YATES – DESIGNER
Anna Yates is a set and costume designer based in London. She designs for theatre, opera, dance and film. Theatre credits include: Glee & Me (Royal Exchange Manchester); Totentanz (Shotput for Love Dance Scotland at Tramway, Glasgow and Scotland Tour); Ferguson and Barton (Shotput at Cumbernauld theatre and Scotland tour); Berberian Sound Studio (Donmar, as co-designer); Elevenses (Somerset House); The Biograph Girl (Finborough Theatre); Tenderly (New Wimbledon Theatre Studio) and Kafka’s Quest (Theatre for the New City, New York). Opera credits include: The Marriage of Figaro (Luzerner Theater); Idomeneo (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); L’Etoile (RCS); The Medium and Three Decembers (RCS); Orpheus in the Underworld (Royal College of Music); Britten, Debussy and Ravel (RCM), Brundibar (Opera North Youth Company); Riders to the Sea and Cupboard Love (Byre Opera) and Lucia di Lammermoor (Fulham Opera). Associate Design includes But then you come to the Humans (Complicité/ Nederlands Dans Theater); Rusalka (Royal Opera House); La Boheme (ENO Drive & Live); The Antipodes (National Theatre) and Duchess of Malfi (Almeida).
