FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE CLAIM
AT SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL
THE CLAIM
By Tim Cowbury
Directed by Mark Maughan
Set Design: Emma Bailey; Sound Design: Lewis Gibson; Lighting Design: Joshua Pharo
Shoreditch Town Hall
Tuesday 18 February – Saturday 7 March 2020
The full cast is today announced for the return of Tim Cowbury’s The Claim at Shoreditch Town Hall following its debut sell-out run in 2018. Mark Maughan directs Nick Blakeley (A), Tonderai Munyevu (Serge) and Indra Ové (B). Theproduction opens on 20 February, with previews from 18 February and runs until 7 March.
A comically absurd and quietly shattering journey to the heart of our tolerant and fair society.
Serge stands before us. He has a performance to give. But why is he here? What is he claiming has happened to him? And what has Willy Wonka got to do with it?
A bold, imaginative response to the stories of those seeking refuge in the UK, The Claim asks what happens when your life is at stake and all you have to save it are your words.
Writer Tim Cowbury, and director Mark Maughan today said, “The story of The Claim began here in London, gaining its first flash of attention in a packed room at Shoreditch Town Hall. It’s a story that has unfolded since 2015, with the help of hundreds of refugees helping us to capture the absurd circularity of the Home Office’s asylum interviews and it’s attached bureaucracy. These interviews happen daily, up and down the UK and The Claim aims to highlight the quotidian nature of these life changing interactions. We want to continue to create a more nuanced and compassionate response to the global migration crisis, following a decade that should have shaken the foundations of such a system.
“We return to Shoreditch with a brilliantly talented mixture of old and new cast members, and huge excitement for the resounding climax to this long journey we’ve been on.”
Tim Cowbury is a playwright and co-founder of Made In China. His credits include Get Stuff Break Free (National Theatre), Gym Party (Battersea Arts Centre/UK and international tour), Tonight I’m Gonna Be The New Me (Soho Theatre/UK tour) and Double Double Act (Unicorn Theatre).
Nick Blakeley returns to Shoreditch Town Hall to play A. His previous theatre credits include The Claim (Shoreditch Town Hall/Paines Plough Roundabout), Twelfth Night (Orange Tree Theatre), I Heart Catherine Pistachio (Soho Theatre/Yard Theatre), Brideshead Revisited (York Theatre Royal/UK tour), Hapgood (Hampstead Theatre), Comment Is Free, 24 Hour Plays (The Old Vic), The Last of the De Mullins (Jermyn St Theatre), Hard Feelings (Finborough Theatre), The Sunshine Boys (Savoy Theatre), 13 and A Woman Killed With Kindness (National Theatre).
Tonderai Munyevu plays Serge. His theatre credits include The Moors (Tara Theatre), Black Men Walking (Royal Court Theatre), Carmen (The Grange Festival), Treasure Island (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), DEvine Comedy (Soho Theatre), The Man Who Almost Killed Himself (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (Young Vic) and ZHE [NOUN] UNDEFINED (Soho Theatre). He is the co-Artistic Director of Two Gents Productions, and his acting credits for the company include Kupenga KwaHamlet (Oval House/Watermill Theatre) and The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare’s Globe/ international tour).
Indra Ové plays B. Her theatre credits include #WeAreArrested, Peer Gynt (Arcola Theatre),The Ugly One (Park Theatre), The Interrogation of Sandra Bland (Bush Theatre), Torn (Royal Court Theatre), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Gielgud Theatre), Yes, Prime Minister (UK tour), Ten Women (Ovalhouse), Twelve Angry Women (Gutted Theatre Company/Lion & Unicorn Theatre), Etta Jenks (Finborough Theatre), Under One Roof (King’s Theatre Glasgow/V&A/Soho Theatre), The Seagull (National Theatre Studio), Blinded by the Sun, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (National Theatre) and Timon of Athens (Young Vic). Her television credits include Good Omens, Unforgotten, Dark Heart, Marcella, Requiem, Glue, The Best Man and The New Worst Witch; and for film, Finding Your Feet, Second Spring, My One and Only, Club Le Monde, It’s All About Love, Resident Evil, The Fifth Element and Othello.
Mark Maughan is a director. His credits include The Claim (UK tour/Paines Plough Roundabout/Shoreditch Town Hall), Unwritten Letters (Bush Theatre), C’est La Vie (The Coronet Theatre), upcoming credits include Dan Daw Show (Sadler’s Wells). Credits as assistant director include Good With People (Òran Mór) and London (UK tour).
The Claim Listings
Shoreditch Town Hall
380 Old Street, Hackney, London, EC1V 9LT
Tuesday 18 February – Saturday 7 March 2020
Box Office: 020 7739 6176