Cast & Creative

Cast
Creative

Lucian Msamati

Estragon

Lucian Msamati

Estragon

Theatre credits includes: Master Harrold and the Boys (National Theatre), Amadeus (National Theatre), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (National Theatre), A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes (The Tricycle), Othello (RSC),Little Revolution (The Almeida),The Amen Corner (National Theatre), If You Don’t Let us Dream We Won’t Let You A Sleep (Royal Court), Belong (Royal Court), Comedy of Errors (Royal National Theatre), Clybourne Park (Royal Court/West End), Ruined (Almeida Theatre), Death and The Kings Horsman (Royal National Theatre), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Lyric Hammersmith),1807- The First Act (The Globe)Pericles (RSC)The Overwhelming (National Theatre)Walk Hard (Tricycle)Fabulation (Tricycle),Gem Of The Ocean (Tricycle), Who Killed Mr Drum(Riverside), President of An Empty Room (National Theatre), Twelfth Night (Sheffield Crucible), Mourning Becomes Electra (National, Lyttelton), I.D. (Almeida), Romeo & Juliet (The Dancehouse, Manchester), The Taming of the Shrew (Bath Shakespeare Festival), Born African (Arthur Seaton Theatre, New York), Twelfth Night (Neuss Globe Theatre, Germany), Fade to Black (Harare International Festival of Arts), Eternal Peace Asylum (American Repertory Theatre), Loot, Urfaust (Reps Theatre) Rocky Horror Picture Show (Seven Arts Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (NTO Zimbawbe). Television includes: Gangs of London (2 Seasons), Chemistry of Death, Dark Materials, Black Earth Rising, Kiri, Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams, Taboo, George Gently, Luther, Game of Thrones, Death in Paradise, Richard III, No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, Dr Who, Ashes To Ashes, Spooks, Just Like Ronaldinho, Ultimate Force ,Too Close for Comfort, The Knock, Heads and Tales. Film Includes: Conclave, Breaking Point, The Good Liar, The Seekers, The International, Coffin, Legend of the Sky, Kingdom, Dr Juju, Lumumba. Radio: includes An Elegy For Easterly, Mugabe: God’s President, The Jero Plays, The Homecoming, Seventh Street, Alchemy and Colours. Lucian is a founder member of Zimbabwe’s Over the Edge theatre company and former Artistic Director of Tiata Fahodzi.

Ben Whishaw

Vladimir

Ben Whishaw

Vladimir

Ben is a multi award-winning British actor. His notable film credits include the role of Q in Skyfall, Spectre and No Time To Die; the voice of Paddington in Paddington and Paddington 2; Perfume: The Story of a Murderer; Jane Campion’s Bright Star; Cloud Atlas; Tom Hooper’s multi award-winning The Danish Girl; The Lobster; in the role of Mr. Banks in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns; Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield; Alice Englert’s Bad Behaviour with Jennifer Connelly; and Passages with Franz Rogowski and Adèle Exarchopoulos. We last saw Ben in Sarah Polley’s Women Talking, alongside Claire Foy and Frances McDormand, for which he was nominated for a Satellite Award, a Hollywood Critics Association Film Award and longlisted for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor. It has been announced that he will reprise his role as the voice of the titular bear in Paddington in Peru and last year, he wrapped filming Limonov, The Ballad of Eddie in Russia and Latvia, in which he stars as Eduard Limonov. He’ll star in the short film, Good Boy, the directorial debut of Tom Stuart with the support of Gia Coppola. Ben’s TV credits include his role as Norman Scott in the mini-series A Very English Scandal opposite Hugh Grant. This performance saw Ben recognised with a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television, along with a Primetime Emmy Award and a BAFTA. Criminal Justice, The Hour, Fargo and a BAFTA award-winning performance in The Hollow Crown. He starred in the lead role of This Is Going To Hurt, the series adaptation of Adam Kay’s bestselling novel, for which he won Leading Actor in the 2023 BAFTA TV Awards along with Outstanding Performance in a New Series at the 2022 Gotham Awards and winning in the Best Actor category at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. Ben was nominated for numerous awards as well including Best Actor by the TV Choice Awards; a Critic’s Choice Awards for Best Actor In A Limited Series or Movie Made For Television and a Gold Derby Award for Limited / Movie Actor. He is currently filming Black Doves (Netflix) and is starring alongside Keira Knightley and Sarah Lancashire. Ben’s theatre credits have included Mojo (Harold Pinter Theatre), Peter and Alice (Noel Coward), Some Trace of Her and The Seagull (National Theatre), Leaves of Glass (Soho Theatre), Hamlet (Old Vic), Julius Caesar (The Bridge Theatre) and The Crucible (on Broadway).

James Macdonald

Director

James Macdonald

Director

James was an Associate and Deputy Director at the Royal Court for 14 years and was also a NESTA fellow from 2003 to 2006. For the Royal Court: GLASS.KILL.IMP.BLUEBEARD, ONE FOR SORROW, THE CHILDREN (& MTC/Broadway), ESCAPED ALONE (& BAM, NYC), THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, LOVE & INFORMATION (& NYTW), COCK (& Duke, NYC), DRUNK ENOUGH TO SAY I LOVE YOU (& Public, NYC), DYING CITY (& Lincoln Center, NYC), FEWER EMERGENCIES, LUCKY DOG, BLOOD, BLASTED, 4.48 PSYCHOSIS (& St Anne’s Warehouse, NYC/US & European tours), HARD FRUIT, REAL CLASSY AFFAIR, CLEANSED, BAILEGANGAIRE, HARRY & ME, SIMPATICO, PEACHES, THYESTES, HAMMETT’S APPRENTICE, THE TERRIBLE VOICE OF SATAN, PUTTING TWO & TWO TOGETHER. Other theatre includes: INFINITE LIFE (National Theatre) THE CHERRY ORCHARD (Yard Theatre); NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, JOHN, DIDO QUEEN OF CARTHAGE, THE HOUR WE KNEW NOTHING OF EACH OTHER, EXILES (National); WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, THE CHANGING ROOM (West End); THE TEMPEST, ROBERTO ZUCCO (RSC); SEA CREATURES, WILD, AND NO MORE SHALL WE PART, #AIWW – THE ARREST OF AI WEIWEI (Hampstead); THE FATHER (Theatre Royal, Bath/Tricycle/West End); BAKKHAI, A DELICATE BALANCE, JUDGMENT DAY, THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE (Almeida); A DOLL’S HOUSE PART 2, THE WAY OF THE WORLD, ROOTS (Donmar); THE CHINESE ROOM (Williamstown Festival); CLOUD NINE (Atlantic, NYC); A NUMBER (NYTW); KING LEAR, THE BOOK OF GRACE (Public, NYC); TOP GIRLS (MTC/Broadway); JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN (Abbey, Dublin/BAM, NYC); TROILUS UND CRESSIDA, DIE KOPIEN (Schaubuehne, Berlin); 4.48 PSYCHOSE (Burgtheater, Vienna); LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST, RICHARD II (Royal Exchange, Manchester); THE RIVALS (Nottingham Playhouse); THE CRACKWALKER (Gate); THE SEAGULL (Crucible, Sheffield); MISS JULIE (Oldham Coliseum); JUNO & THE PAYCOCK, ICE CREAM/HOT FUDGE, ROMEO & JULIET, FOOL FOR LOVE, SAVAGE/LOVE, MASTER HAROLD & THE BOYS (Contact, Manchester); PREM (BAC/Soho Poly). Opera includes: A RING A LAMP A THING (Linbury); EUGENE ONEGIN, RIGOLETTO (Welsh National Opera); Die Zauberflöte (Garsington); WOLF CLUB VILLAGE, NIGHT BANQUET (Almeida Opera); OEDIPUS REX, SURVIVOR FROM WARSAW (Royal Exchange, Manchester/Hallé); LIVES OF THE GREAT POISONERS (Second Stride). Film includes: A NUMBER (HBO/BBC).

Rae Smith

Costume and Set Designer

Rae Smith

Costume and Set Designer

Rae Smith’s recent theatre designs include DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD (Complicité); A DOLL’S HOUSE: PART 2 (Donmar); Kae Tempests’ PARADISE and TRANSLATIONS (National Theatre); UNCLE VANYA (Pinter Theatre: South Bank Sky Arts Award) and ROSMERSHOLM (Duke of York’s) both Olivier nominated for set design; GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY (Belasco On Broadway, Public Theatre New York, Guilgud, Noël Coward Theatre and Old Vic Theatre); BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES (BAM, Roundhouse, National Theatre and world tour); THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (The Bridge and Leeds Playhouse); THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (Noel Coward); THIS HOUSE (The Garrick, National and UK tour) and Neil Bartlets’ STELLA (Brighton Festival, Hoxton Hall and Holland Festival). Other designs for Theatre include WARHORSE (Tony and Olivier Awards); WONDER.LAND, THE LIGHT PRINCESS and PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY (all National Theatre). Opera includes RIGOLETTO (Opera North); NOZZI DE FIGARO (Aix en Provence); PELLEAS AND MELLISANDE (Scottish Opera); CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA and PAGLIACCI (Metropolitan Opera, New York); BENVENUTO CELLINI (ENO); RUSALKA (Glyndebourne) and THE RING CYCLE (Grand Prix winner for outstanding achievement in Opera, Opera Du Rhin, Strasbourg). Dance includes THE TEMPEST and PRINCE OF THE PAGODAS (Birmingham Royal Ballet) and THE RITE OF SPRING and PETRUSHKA (Fabulous Beast). Other work includes live drawing for WAR HORSE in Concert with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. Future projects include designing DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE for the Nederlandse Reisopera and THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR for Vienna Volksoper. For further info: www.raesmith.co.uk

Fictionhouse Limited

Producer

Fictionhouse Limited

Producer

Established by Dominic Cooke and Kate Horton, Fictionhouse is an independent producing company, developing and making drama for television, film and theatre. Central to the idea of Fictionhouse is the Directors’ relationships with top writing, acting and directing talent, alongside their skill in developing and producing distinctive drama. Fictionhouse is developing projects with a range of artists, including Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Olivier and Tony award winning writers and actors across film, television and theatre projects. While running the Royal Court, Dominic Cooke and Kate Horton produced over 100 new plays, which were nominated for 210 major awards, winning 59 and their partnership saw the discovery and launch of an exciting new generation of playwrights such as Mike Bartlett, Bola Agbaje, Anupama Chandrasekhar, DC Moore, Lucy Kirkwood and the UK launch of Bruce Norris. They developed the commercial arm of the Royal Court and transferred work to the West End and Broadway with great commercial and critical success, including Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, Lucy Prebble’s Enron, Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park, Nick Payne’s Constellations, Laura Wade’s Posh, Mike Bartlett’s Cock, April de Angelis’s Jumpy and Polly Stenham’s That Face. They also introduced Theatre Local, a ground-breaking initiative to take work direct to new audiences, firstly at Elephant and Castle shopping Centre and then converting the Bussey Building in Peckham, presenting work by Rachel De-lahay, debbie tucker green, Bola Agbaje, Hayley Squires. Recent projects include: Rock Follies (Chichester Festival Theatre), Euripides’ Medea, adapted by Robinson Jeffers and starring Sophie Okonedo (@sohoplace, West End), C.P. Taylor’s Good, starring David Tennant (Harold Pinter Theatre, West End), The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster (Broadway), The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer (NT, London) and The Narcissist (Chichester Festival Theatre). Fictionhouse is in partnership with Ringside Media, the investment arm of television drama production company Ringside Studios.

Kate Horton

Producer

Kate Horton

Producer

Kate Horton is the co-founder of Fictionhouse, developing and producing work for theatre, television and film. She was previously executive director of the Royal Court Theatre, commercial director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and deputy executive director of the National Theatre. She has produced over 100 world premieres, which have won many major awards including a Pulitzer Prize and Tony, Olivier and Critics Circle awards. Kate was the originating and commercial producer of Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, Lucy Prebble’s Enron, Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park [UK] and Simon Stephens’ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. With Barry Diller and David Geffen, she was the lead producer of The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, which ran on Broadway for 420 performances and tout-grossed every other production for every week of its run. She was also the lead producer of Good in the West End, starring David Tennant, which broke the box office house record at the Harold Pinter several times during its 11 week run. She was also part of the design team and the founding executive director of Little Island in Manhattan, which opened in spring 2021.

Access Entertainment

Producer

Access Entertainment

Producer

Access Entertainment is the division of Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries that invests in world-class content and creative ventures—from feature films to live theatre to high growth start-ups. Access Entertainment, led by President Danny Cohen, is committed to delivering exceptional entertainment and partnering with leading talent to build fast-growing businesses. In 2018, the company acquired the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End, internationally recognized as one of the world’s great historic theatres.

Kate Pakenham Productions

Producer

Kate Pakenham Productions

Producer

Kate Pakenham Productions is an independent production and consultancy company run by producer Kate Pakenham. Previous productions are: MEDEA, directed by Dominic Cooke, starring Sophie Okonedo and Ben Daniels (@sohoplace, 2023); Jade Anouka’s debut play HEART (The Minetta Lane, NY, and for Audible, 2022); Kaleider’s THE MONEY (London’s County Hall, 2021); HAMLET, directed by Yael Farber and starring Ruth Negga (St Ann’s Warehouse, New York, 2020); and the Olivier Award-winning EMILIA by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm (West End, 2019). Kate also acts as an executive and creative consultant across the cultural sector, including as consultant producer for Fictionhouse. In 2024 Kate is co-producing the National Theatre’s production, GRENFELL: IN THE WORDS OF SURVIVORS at St Ann’s Warehouse, Brooklyn, through her and Phyllida Lloyd’s company, KPPL Productions. Kate was previously Executive Producer for the Donmar Warehouse (2012-2018) and Producer at The Old Vic (2001-2011). She serves on the Board of Sheffield Theatres.