Summer's here and in Chester that means it is almost time for the Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre to welcome its first audiences of 2016.
No fewer than two Shakespeare comedies lead the way this year with The Two Gentlemen of Verona and As You Like It making sure it will be a season full of Bard belly laughs.
But there is also a new adaptation of the classic children's novel Stig of the Dump to look forward to.
And Storyhouse , the organisation behind the Chester open air theatre project, has now revealed details of the cast members who will be bringing all three plays to life this summer from July 1-August 21.
The ensemble cast will perform across all three productions, with As You Like It directed by Philip Wilson, Stig of the Dump by Derek Bond and The Two Gentlemen of Verona by Alex Clifton.
Playing Stig in the new adaptation by Olivier winner Jessica Swale is John Seaward – he will also play Jacques in As You Like It. Previous roles include Big John in cult comedy The Inbetweeners and Luke in the BBC’s Survivors, while for theatre he played the BFG for the Bolton Octogon.
Stig of the Dump’s Barney will be played by Lamda graduate Anton Cross – he will also play Le Beau in As You Like It.
In Stig of the Dump, Barney’s sister Lou will be played by Charlotte Miranda–Smith, whose previous theatre work includes Susan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh) and Maria in West Side Story (Royal Conservatoire Scotland). She was a finalist for The Stephen Sondheim Student Performer of the Year and will play Celia in As You Like It.
RELATED STORY:
From Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre’s 2013’s productions of Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cyrano de Bergerac is Katherine Toy, who will play Grandma in Stig of the Dump.
Katherine’s other recent theatre works include Merlin at Theatre Royal Northampton and The Prince and the Pauper for Unicorn Theatre.
As You Like It’s Rosalind will be played by Rose O’Loughlin (The Lieutenant of Inishmore at The Royal Lyceum, Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class at The Abbey, Dublin).
As You Like It’s Orlando will be played by Fred Lancaster (This House (National Theatre), Henry V (Michael Grandage Company/West End), The Silver Tassie (National Theatre)).
Touchstone will be played by Ben Tolley, whose theatre credits include The Wind in the Willows (Lord Chamberlain’s Men) and The Snow Queen for Chester-based Theatre in the Quarter.
Fresh from last year’s season playing Nurse in the acclaimed Romeo and Juliet is Danielle Henry, who will play As You Like It’s Phoebe.
Guildhall graduate Robert Willoughby will star as Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Oliver in As You Like It. His recent theatre work includes This House (National Theatre), Henry V (Michael Grandage Company/West End), The Silver Tassie (National Theatre).
Ian Harris, who will portray Duke Frederick in As You Like It and Grandad in Stig of the Dump, has appeared in theatres throughout the UK and beyond. Favourite roles include Teddy in The Homecoming and Fabian in Twelfth Night at York Theatre Royal.
Graduate of the Royal Academy of Music Kate Marlais will play Amiens in As You Like It – her recent theatre work includes Rent (Broadway) and War Horse (New London Theatre).
RELATED STORY:
Harry Livingstone will play Charles in As You Like It and Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Old Vic graduate Pippa Moss will play Hisperia in As You Like It, the teacher in Stig of the Dump and Julia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Her recent theatre work includes Macbeth for the Guildford Shakespeare Company.
Lamda graduate Hatty Preston originated the role of Minty in Jennifer Saunders’s Viva Forever (Piccadilly Theatre), she will play Audrey in As You Like It, Lil in Stig of the Dump and Silvia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Johnson Willis, who will play Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona Johnson, is no stranger to Chester having worked extensively at Theatr Clywd, where he has appeared in Silas Marner, Twelfth Night, King Lear, Troilus and Cressida, The Cherry Orchard, Happy End and Animal Farm.
Tickets for Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre are on sale now. Go to www.grosvenorparkopenairtheatre.co.uk to find out more.
