Cast announced for Love and Information by Caryl Churchill

PRESS RELEASE

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR CARYL CHURCHILL’S LOVE AND INFORMATION AT ROYAL COURT THEATRE

The cast has been announced for Love and Information by Caryl Churchill, which opens in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court, running from 6 September to13 October (press night 14 September).

The cast of 16 will play over 100 characters is Nikki Amuka-Bird, Linda Bassett, Scarlett Brookes, Amanda Drew, Laura Elphinstone, Susan Engel, John Heffernan, Joshua James, Paul Jesson, Billy Matthews, Justin Salinger, Amit Shah, Rhashan Stone, Josh Williams, Nell Williams and Sarah Woodward.

What are we going to do?
We’ve got to know
I won’t be able to sleep
What are we going to do?

Someone sneezes. Someone can’t get a signal. Someone shares a secret. Someone won’t answer the door. Someone put an elephant on the stairs. Someone’s not ready to talk. Someone is her brother’s mother. Someone hates irrational numbers. Someone told the police. Someone got a message from the traffic light. Someone’s never felt like this before.

In this fast moving kaleidoscope more than a hundred characters try to make sense of what they know.

Caryl Churchill is one of the UK’s most influential playwrights and her association with the Royal Court dates back to 1972 with her play Owners. Her plays at the Royal Court include Seven Jewish Children, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You, Top Girls, This is a Chair, Far Away, A Number, Cloud Nine and Serious Money.

James Macdonald directs. His previous credits at the Royal Court include Cock, (which is currently running at the Duke on 42nd Street, in New York), Drunk Enough to Say I Love You, Dying City, Fewer Emergencies, Lucky Dog, Blood, Blasted, 4.48 Psychosis (including European/US tours). His other directing credits include King Lear, The Book of Grace, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You (Public Theater); Top Girls (Broadway/MTC); Dying City (Lincoln Center); A Number (New York Theatre Workshop); And No More Shall We Part (Hampstead Theatre); A Delicate Balance, Judgment Day, The Triumph of Love (Almeida); John Gabriel Borkman (Abbey Theatre Dublin/BAM); Dido, Queen of Carthage, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other, Exiles (National Theatre); Glengarry Glen Ross (West End), and A Number (New York Theatre Workshop). James Macdonald was Associate Director of the Royal Court from 1992 to 2007.

The production will be directed by James Macdonald, set designed by Miriam Buether, costumes by Laura Hopkins, lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Christopher Shutt.

ends
(25/07/12)

Notes to Editors:
Love and Information
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by James Macdonald
Thursday 6 September – Saturday 13 October 2012
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square SW1W 8AS
Monday-Saturday 8pm
Saturday Matinees 2pm (from 15 September)
Thursday Matinees 2pm (4 & 11 October)
Press Night Friday 14 September, 7pm
Post-Show Talks Tuesday 2 October and Tuesday 9 October
Captioned Performance Wednesday 10 October
Audio Described Performance Saturday 13 October 2pm
Age Guidance 14+
Tickets £28, £20, £12
Mondays all seats £10 (available in advance to Friends and Supporters and on the day of the performance from 9am online)
Concessions £5 off top two prices* (available in advance for all performances until Saturday 15 September inclusive and all matinees. For all other performances, available on a standby basis on the day)
25s and under £8* (available on £20 and £12 tickets)
School and HE Groups of 8+ 50% off top two prices (available Tuesday-Friday)
Groups of 6+ £5 off top price (available Tuesday-Friday)
Access £12 (plus a companion at the same rate)
*ID required. All discounts are subject to availability

Coutts is the Principal Sponsor of the Royal Court Theatre

Coutts is the UK private banking arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Coutts has a long history of supporting the arts going back 200 years, having looked after the financial affairs of many famous clients connected with the arts such as Bram Stoker, Charles Dickens and Chopin. In 1816, Thomas Coutts married Harriot Mellon, a popular actress of her day, and together they became partners of a number of London Theatres, including the Drury Lane and the Royal Opera House. Coutts has even featured in a number of artistic works including The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In the new millennium, this tradition has continued not only through managing the finances of many of today’s top writers, actors and musicians, but also through our arts sponsorship programme and we are delighted to support The Royal Court and its diverse range of ground-breaking performances.

Cast Biographies

Nikki Amuka – Bird most recently appeared in The Trial of Ubu at Hampstead Theatre, Welcome to Thebes at the National and The God’s Weep at Hampstead/RSC. On television, she has most recently appeared in Luther and Survivors.

Linda Bassett last appeared at the Royal Court in In Basildon, Wastwater, The Stone and Lucky Dog, for which she won the TMA Award for Best Actress, as well as East is East, which started life in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in 1997. Other theatre credits include The Road to Mecca at the Arcola, Pericles and The Winter’s Tale at the RSC. On screen, her credits include Grandma’s House, Larkrise to Candleford, Sense and Sensibility and films Cass, Kinky Boots, Calendar Girls, The Hours and East is East, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA.

Scarlett Brookes has recently graduated from RADA and makes her professional stage debut.

Amanda Drew last appeared at the Royal Court in ENRON, The Stone, Faces in the Crowd and The Ugly One. Elsewhere, her recent credits include A Streetcar Named Desire at Liverpool Playhouse, Twelfth Night at the National Theatre, Butley in the West End, House of Games and Parlour Song at the Almeida. She also played Dr May Wright in Eastenders on BBC1.

Laura Elphinstone was last at the Royal Court in Country Music. Her other credits include Utopia at Soho and Live Theatre Newcastle, A Month in the Country and Top Girls (also in the West End) at Chichester Festival Theatre, Pains of Youth at the National and Marine Parade at the Brighton Festival.

Susan Engel was last at the Royal Court in Spinning in Butter Her other credits include The Crucible at the Regents Park Theatre and Dido, Queen of Carthage and Her Naked Skin at the National Theatre.

John Heffernan’s credits include The Physicists at the Donmar Warehouse, She Stoops to Conquer, Emperor and Galilean, After the Dance and The Habit of Art at the National Theatre. He appeared in Paines Plough and Plymouth Theatre Royal’s original production of Love, Love, Love. On screen, Henry IV Parts I and II as part of the BBC Shakespeare season.

Joshua James has recently graduated from RADA. Love and Information will be his professional stage debut.

Paul Jesson most recently appeared at the Royal Court in Cock and The Seagull.. His other credits include Travelling Light, King Lear and Twelfth Night as part of the Donmar West End season and A Winter’s Tale and The Cherry Orchard at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Billy Matthews recently appeared in Henry IV Parts I and II as part of the BBC Shakespeare Season and as Alfie in One Night on BBC1. Love and Information will be his professional stage debut.

Justin Salinger was last at the Royal Court in Bliss, Food Chain and Under the Blue Sky.His other credits include Cat in the Hat, Beauty and the Beast and Our Class at the National Theatre, The Homecoming at the RSC and Through a Glass Darkly at the Almeida.

Amit Shah was last at the Royal Court in Shades and Free Outgoing. His recent credits include Comedy of Errors at the National Theatre, 66 Books at the Bush and King Lear at the Donmar Warehouse and Arabian Nights at the RSC.

Rhashan Stone was last at the Royal Court in Clubland. His recent stage credits include Trace at the Bush Theatre and Southwark Fair at the National Theatre. On screen, he was a regular in Strike Back on Sky1 and in Mutual Friends on BBC.

Josh Williams last appeared at the Royal Court in Our Private Life. His credits also include Lord of the Flies at Regents Park Open Air Theatre, Shivered and Arlo at Southwark Playhouse.

Nell Williams will be making her professional stage debut in Love and Information.

Sarah Woodward’s credits include Jumpy at the Royal Court, The Cherry Orchard at the National Theatre and Snake in the Grass at The Print Room.