Cast announced for Hope at the Royal Court Theatre

Dom O'Hanlon
Dom O'Hanlon

Casting has been announced today for Hope, Jack Thorne's first original play to be staged at the Royal Court which runs from 26 November to 10 January 2015, with an official opening on 2 December 2014.

The cast includes Rudi Dharmalingam, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Jo Eastwood, Christine Entwisle, Tom Georgeson, Stella Gonet, Paul Higgins, Tommy Knight and Nisha Nayar.

Directed by John Tiffany, the production is designed by Tom Scutt, with lighting by Chahine Yavroyan and sound by Carolyn Downing. It will also feature original compositions by Martin Lowe. It is staged as part of the Royal Court's Open Court festival, offering audiences radical thinking and provocative discussion inspired by the work on stage.

Hope is described as "an urgent, responsive play about where we are right now politically." It follows Mark and Hilary, the leaders of the Council are about to find out how to save 22 million pounds within local government.

Christine Entwisle's previous credits at the Royal Court include 'Primetime', 'Narrative' and 'The Wonderful World of Dissocia'. Her word for the RSC include 'As You Like It', 'The Comedy of Errors', 'The Drunks', 'Morte d'Arthur' and 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Rudi Dharmalingam most recently appeared in 'Worst Wedding Ever' at the Salisbury Playhouse. His theatre credits include 'The Events' at the Young Vic, 'The Seagull' and 'The English Game' for Headlong and 'Much Ado About Nothing' for the RSC in the West End.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster is best known for her TV roles as Lisa in 'Top Boy' and Crystal in 'Bad Girls'. Her stage credits include 'A Season in the Congo' at the Young Vic, 'The El Train' at Hoxton Hall, and 'The Swan' and 'There is War' both at the National Theatre.

Jo Eastwood has starred in various film and television shows including 'Hellboy', 'Casualty', 'Eastenders', 'Frankie and Kingdom' and 'The Spastic King'. Similarly, Tommy Knight is also known for his TV roles, such as Jack Thorne's 'Glue' on E4, as well as 'Waterloo Road' and 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'.

Tom Georgeson last appeared at the Royal Court in 'Incomplete' and 'Random Acts of Kindness'. His theatre credits include 'Judgement Day' and 'Lulu' at the Almeida Theatre and 'Longing' at the Hampstead Theatre.

Stella Gonet is best known for her roles as Jayne Grayson in 'Holby City' and 'Casualty', and Beatrice Eliott in 'The House of Eliott'. She has appeared in numerous RSC productions including 'Measure for Measure', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Divine Gossip' and 'Three Sisters'.

Paul Higgins was previously directed by John Tiffany in 'Black Watch' at National Theatre of Scotland. His National Theatre credits include 'Children of the Sun', 'The White Guard', 'Paul' and 'An Enemy of the People'.


Originally published on

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