Director of The Marlowe Theatre Mark Everett today announces the full cast for the theatre’s inaugural in-house production,Beached by Melissa Bubnic. Justin Audibert will direct James Dryden, Alison O’Donnell, Rhoda Ofori-Attah and Robin Weaver. The UK première production will run in The Marlowe Studio from 28 October – 1 November before moving to the Soho Theatre from 4 – 23 November.
Beached tells the story of 18-year-old Arty, who, at 63 stone, is morbidly obese and the world’s fattest teenager. He is a young man literally going nowhere.
All this is set to change when a reality TV crew moves in to ruthlessly document Arty’s supposed transformation from bedridden walrus to trousered sophisticate. But with the cameras rolling, something totally unexpected happens – Arty falls in love.
Beached is supported by nearly £23,000 of public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England’s Grant for the Arts programme, and philanthropic funding by The Marlowe Theatre Development Trust.
James Dryden plays Arty. His theatre credits include Teechers (Theatre Royal, Wakefield) and The History Boys (Mercury Theatre). His television credits include Father Brown and for film, his work includes Tulip Fever and Mr Turner.
Robin Weaver plays JoJo. Her theatre credits include The Captain of Kopenick (National Theatre), Enemies (Almeida Theatre), Excuses (Soho Theatre), A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg (New Ambassadors, Comedy Theatre), Sea Life (Bristol Old Vic), King Lear, Two Gentlemen of Verona (RSC), The Herbal Bed (The Duchess Theatre), The Rivals (Manchester Royal Exchange), In The Summer House (Lyric, Hammersmith), Little Match Girl (Orange Tree). Television credits include Black Mirror, Trollied, Him and Her, Twenty Twelve, Rev, The Thick Of It, The Inbetweeners and The Catherine Tate Show. Film credits include The Inbetweeners, Last Chance Harvey, Magicians and The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Alison O’Donnell plays Louise. Her theatre credits include Incognito (Bush Theatre) Boys (Headlong), Yerma (Gate Theatre and Hull Truck Theatre), My Romantic History (Bush/Sheffield Crucible), Eigengrau (Bush Theatre), Dolls (National Theatre of Scotland), Lady Windermere’s Fan (Oran Mor). Her television credits include Shetland and Feel the Force.
Rhoda Ofori-Attah plays Producer. Her theatre credits include Letters Home (Grid Iron), Bread (Young Vic), Egusi Soup (Soho Theatre), A Doll’s House (Theatre Delicatessen), Otieno (Southwark Playhouse), Present Tense (Southwark Playhouse),Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe), In Time (Almeida Theatre), Hackney! Who Asked You?, Against Your Own (Arcola Theatre), Molnar Shorts (Finborough Theatre). Television credits include Inside Out South East, Grownups, and Rose and Maloney. Film credits include Tulip Fever and The Art of Defining Me.
Melissa Bubnic’s plays include Boys Will Be Boys, Ghosting the Party, I Do Believe in Monsters, Emoticon and Love on a Doomed Planet. Her television credits include writing for Shameless and Crackanory.
Justin Audibert directs. He is Associate Director for Red Ladder and Artistic Associate for HighTide Festival Theatre. Recent directing credits include Wing Man (Soho Theatre, Pleasance Edinburgh), Raymondo (BAC, Summerhall, Pulse Festival),World Enough and Times (Park Theatre), Unscorched (Finborough Theatre), The Fu Manchu Complex (Oval House), A Season In The Congo: Parallel Project (Clare, Young Vic), Wrong’ Un (Red Ladder), Gruesome Playground Injuries (Gate Theatre), The Tempest (RSC Shakespeare in a Suitcase). In 2012 he was the Acting Coach for the finalists of BBC 2’sShakespeare Off By Heart. He was the recipient of the 2012 Leverhulme Award for Emerging Directors.
Paul Jellis is an independent producer mostly working in new writing. He is Executive Producer for multi award-winning and internationally acclaimed new writing company nabokov, a founder of the interactive, immersive and site specific company Bad Physics and Artistic Associate of HighTide Festival Theatre. His recent producing credits include Symphony by Ella Hickson, Nick Payne and Tom Wells (Musical Theatre Network awards winner, Assembly, Birmingham REP, Traverse, Soho Theatre),Incognito by Nick Payne (HighTide, Live Theatre, The Bush) and Blink by Phil Porter (Traverse, Soho Theatre, UK tour, 59E59 New York).
THE MARLOWE STUDIO
28 October – 1 November
Press night: 30 October 8pm
Performances:
8pm with a 2pm Saturday matinee
Prices:
£12/11
Previews - £10
Box office: 01227 787787
SOHO THEATRE
4 – 23 November
Press night: 6 November 7.15pm
Performances:
7.15pm Tuesday to Saturday
Matinees – 5.30pm on Sundays
Prices:
£15/12.50
Previews - £10
Box office: 020 7478 0100
