FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR RSC'S 2016 SWAN PRODUCTION
FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY’S
SPRING 2016 SWAN PRODUCTIONS
Casting is announced for Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, with the lead actors sharing the roles of Faustus and Mephistopheles, and a new adaptation of Cervantes’ classic novel Don Quixote, starring Rufus Hound and David Threlfall, both opening in the Swan Theatre in Spring 2016.
DOCTOR FAUSTUS
By Christopher Marlowe
Directed by Maria Aberg
Swan Theatre: 4 February – 4 August 2016
Press night: Thursday 11 February, 7pm
Maria Aberg returns to the RSC to direct Christopher Marlowe’s tale of vanity, greed and damnation, Doctor Faustus, which will see Sandy Grierson and Oliver Ryan share the roles of the embittered academic Faustus and the demon Mephistopheles, alternating the parts at each performance.
This marks Sandy Grierson’s return to the RSC after performing in RSC Associate Director David Farr’s What Country, Friends, is this? cycle, playing Ariel in The Tempest in 2012. His RSC debut came in The Thirteen Midnight Challenges of Angelus Diablo, a RSC production commissioned especially for Latitude Festival. Most recently he appeared in Lanark: A Life in Three Acts in 2015’s Edinburgh International Festival.
Oliver Ryan was in Maria Aberg’s 2013 production of As You Like It in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Other RSC roles include Gawain in Gregory Doran’s 2010 production of Morte D’Arthur, and Benvolio in Rupert Goold’s Romeo and Juliet.
They are joined by: Will Bliss (Valdes / Good Angel), Jade Croot (Helen of Troy), John Cummins (Cornelius / Evil Angel), Ruth Everett (Scholar / Friar / Sin) Gabriel Fleary (Emperor / Sin / Scholar), Theo Fraser Steele (Duke / Friar / Sin), Gemma Goggin (Cardinal of Lorraine) Natey Jones (Frederick / Sin / Scholar), Richard Leeming (Sin / Scholar), Nicholas Lumley (Wagner), Tom McCall (Benvolio / Friar), Joshua McCord (Martino), Bathsheba Piepe (Sin / Scholar / Friar), Rosa Robson (Scholar) Amy Rockson (Duchess / Scholar) Timothy Speyer (Pope) and Eleanor Wyld (Lucifer / Scholar).
Doctor Faustus is designed by Naomi Dawson with lighting by Lee Curran. The music is composed by Orlando Gough with sound by Claire Windsor. Movement is by Ayse Tashkiran. The fight director is Kate Waters and video is by Nathan Parker.
DON QUIXOTE
Based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, adapted by James Fenton
Directed by Angus Jackson
Swan Theatre: 25 February – 21 May 2016
Press night: Thursday 3 March, 7pm
As previously announced David Threlfall takes on the title role, and Rufus Hound will play Sancho Panza in a new stage adaptation of Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote by James Fenton and directed by Angus Jackson.
Cervantes’ comic novel is widely regarded as one of the foundation stones of modern fiction. To mark the 400th anniversary of the author’s death, the story of a self-fashioned travelling knight accompanied by his faithful squire is newly adapted for the stage by award winning poet, writer and journalist James Fenton.
This will be the first production of this play by the RSC, and is directed by Angus Jackson, who previously worked on the critically acclaimed RSC production Oppenheimer, which transferred to the West End after a run at the Swan Theatre.
Don Quixote is played by David Threlfall, amongst his many TV and stage appearances, he is best known for his leading role as Frank Gallagher in Channel 4’s Shameless. This marks a long-awaited return to the RSC for Threlfall, whose at the RSC was in the iconic Trevor Nunn production of Nicholas Nickleby in 1980.
Comedian and actor Rufus Hound will play Quixote’s squire, Sancho Panza. Hound recently appeared in the Rose Theatre Kingston’s War of the Roses cycle, and starred alongside Robert Lindsay in the musical adaptation of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in 2014 after performing in the hit show One Man, Two Guvnors. He also hosts the radio series My Teenage Diary, which runs regularly on BBC Radio 4.
The full cast of Don Quixote includes: Will Bliss, John Cummins, Ruth Everett, Gabriel Fleary, Gemma Goggin, Theo Fraser Steele, Natey Jones, Richard Leeming, Nicholas Lumley, Tom McCall, Joshua McCord, Bathsheba Piepe, Rosa Robson, Amy Rockson, Timothy Speyer and Eleanor Wyld.
Don Quixote is designed by Robert Innes Hopkins, with lighting by Johanna Town. The music is composed by Grant Olding, with sound by Jeremy Dunn. The fight director is Malcolm Ranson. Literary Manager and Dramaturgy by Pippa Hill.
Notes to Editors
For further information, please contact philippa.harland@rsc.org.uk 0207 845 0512 or amy.belson@rsc.org.uk 01789 412622.
For press tickets please contact dean.asker@rsc.org.uk 01789 412660
To book tickets call 01789 403493 or online at www.rsc.org.uk
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION and THE KOVNER FOUNDATION
The work of the RSC Literary Department is generously supported by THE DRUE HEINZ TRUST
BP £5 tickets and BP Shakespeare Pass for 16-25s
The BP £5 tickets and BP Shakespeare Pass for 16 – 25 year olds gives access to £5 tickets for all RSC productions whether we are performing in Stratford-upon-Avon, London or on tour. The pass enables 16-25 year olds to see five shows in Stratford-upon-Avon for £20 – the cheapest way to enjoy shows at the RSC. Tickets can be booked in advance on the phone, online or in person with some available for sale on the day of the performance. The scheme is supported by Project Partner, BP.
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