Guildhall School presents Autumn Drama Season

The Guildhall School have announced their autumn drama season, which begins with the first productions from the new third year actors, both performed at their new central London performance space.

They will first present True Dare Kiss by Debbie Horsfield at the Milton Court Studio Theatre from 13 to 17 October 2014, followed by a production of the double bill South Downs and The Browning Version at the Milton Court Main Theatre from 20 to 25 October 2014.

The cast for True Dare Kiss includes Lily Sacofsky (Alice), Emma Naomi (Nita), Katrina McKeever (Beth), Elaine Fellows (Phil), Niall Ransome (Nidge/Nash/1st Thug/Miss Bank's Friend/Sheik), Luke Dale (Kevin/Reuben), Craig K. Talbot (Joey/Jay/Danny), Amber James (Carmen), Emily-Céline Thomson (Janine/Lindy/Doctor/Policewoman) and Rebecca Lee (Carly/Candy/Miss Banks/Mrs. Wilson/2nd Thug).

The play was the first by a living female playwright to be performed at the National Theatre and was later adapted into a TV series for the BBC. It follows four young women in 1980s Manchester, trying to reconcile their hopes and dreams with reality. Love, lust, domestic turmoil, unemployment, ambition and failure compete to challenge the tight unit that the girls once were.

True Dare Kiss is directed by Owen Lewis, with designs by Alice Walking, Lighting design by Jack Weir and sound design by Neville Billimoria.

This is followed by a double bill of South Downs and The Browning Version by David Hare and Terence Rattigan respectively. The former was written as a companion piece to Rattigan's play, to celebrate the centenary of the playwright's birth. Both are set in public schools, one post-war, one pre-Profumo, and explore what lies behind the reticence of English society, one from the point of view of a schoolboy, the other from that of a master.

The cast for 'South Downs' includes: Jesse Michael Angelo (Rev. Eric Dewley), Frankie Wakefield (Blakemore), Sam Gillett (Duffield), Logan Georges (Basil Spear), Alex Knox (Jenkins), Oscar Batterham (Gunter), Freddy Elletson (Sprule), and Marina Bye (Belinda).

Cast for 'The Browning Version' includes: Tom Chapman (John Taplow), Nathan Coenen (Frank Hunter), Charlie Bate (Millie Crocker-Harris), Edward Sayer (Andrew Crocker-Harris), Oscar Batterham (Dr Frobisher), Freddy Elletson (Peter Gilbert) and Alice Winslow (Mrs Gilbert).

South Downs and The Browning Version will be directed by Wyn Jones with design by Susannah Henry, lighting design by Mark Howland, sound design by Michael Woods, and original composition by Sam Wilson.