ORANGE TREE THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST FOR
ZOE COOPER’S REIMAGINING OF JANE AUSTEN’S NORTHANGER ABBEY
Orange Tree Theatre (OT) with co-producers Octagon Theatre Bolton, Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough and Theatre by the Lake Keswick today announces the full cast for Zoe Cooper’s playful reimagining of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. Tessa Walker directs Rebecca Banatvala (Cath), AK Golding (Iz) and Sam Newton (Hen).
Zoe Cooper returns to the OT following the hit premières of Jess and Joe Forever and Out of Water with her new play Northanger Abbey, inspired by Jane Austen’s novel. Northanger Abbey opens at the OT on 24 January and runs until 24 February, with previews from 20 January. The production will then tour to Octagon Theatre Bolton from 1 – 23 March, Stephen Joseph Theatre from 27 March – 13 April and Theatre by the Lake from 27 April – 17 May 2024 and will be available on OT On Screen from 21 to 24 May 2024.
Playwright Zoe Cooper said today, “Northanger Abbey is a novel about friendship, love, romance and fantasy and how those things collide. What struck me on my first reading as a queer nineteen-year-old, was that the central romantic relationship, one filled with lust, anger and betrayal, is between the romantic heroine and her best friend, Isabella. It is that version of the book I wanted to explore in this reimagining.”
Director Tessa Walker added, “I am delighted to be working on Zoe’s vivid, funny, and inventive re-imagining of Austen’s classic with this fantastic cast. It’s a wonderful, playful tale of romance, gothic adventures, growing up, and the importance of stories and who gets to tell them.”
Zoe Cooper’s
NORTHANGER ABBEY
From the novel by Jane Austen
An Orange Tree Theatre co-production with Octagon Theatre Bolton, the Stephen Joseph Theatre and Theatre by the Lake
Cast: Rebecca Banatvala (Cath), AK Golding (Iz), Sam Newton (Hen)
Directed by: Tessa Walker; Designer: Hannah Sibai; Lighting Designer: Matt Haskins; Sound Designer: Holly Khan; Movement Director: Jonnie Riordan, Assistant Director: Namoo Chae Lee
20 January – 24 February
OT On Screen: Tue 21 – Fri 24 May 2024
Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of any sort of … disappointed love
Catherine Morland knows little of the world, but who needs real-life experience when you have novels to guide you? Catherine seizes her chance to escape her claustrophobic family and join the smart set in Bath. Between balls and parties, she meets worldly, sophisticated Isabella Thorpe – Iz, to her friends – and so Cath’s very own adventure begins.
Zoe Cooper’s latest play The Kiss was performed as part of the OT’s Inside/Outside Series in April 2021. Her previous play Out of Water also played at the OT in 2019. It was produced in association with the RSC. Out of Water was named as a finalist in the 2020 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, shortlisted for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Awards 2019, and nominated for the Best New Production of a Play Award in the Broadway World UK Awards.
Rebecca Banatvala plays Cath. Her theatre credits include I F*cked You In My Spaceship (VAULT Festival), Sap (Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Soho Theatre / UK Tour), Much Ado About Nothing (RSC), Mrs Puntila and her Man Matti (Royal Lyceum Theatre), Rotterdam (UK Tour), The Three Musketeers (The Dukes), and Trident Moon (Finborough Theatre). Rebecca can be seen in Series 2 of BBC Drama Vigil as guest character, Alia Ghazali. Other television credits include The Syndicate, and Love, Death & Robots;and for film, The Princess Switch 3.
AK Golding plays Iz. AK’s theatre credits include Twelfth Night (Nottingham Playhouse), The Messiah Complex (VAULT Festival), Tapped (UK tour), Hot in Here: An Energy Generating Dance Party (Gate Theatre), Move Fast and Break Things (FRIEGHT THEATRE), Extra Time (Derby Theatre) and Hamlet (National Theatre). For television credits include Urban Myths: Handel and Hendrix;and for film, The Colour Room and Mantis.
Sam Newton plays Hen. His theatre credits include A Woman Walks into a Bank (Theatre503), Good Day (VAULT Festival), Jack and the Beanstalk (Jacksons Lane), Big Big Sky (Hampstead Theatre), Sometimes Thinking (Frantic Assembly), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Piccadilly Theatre, UK and international tour) and Nigel Slater’s Toast (The Lowry, Edinburgh Festival Fringe). His television credits include The Bastard Son and The Devil Himself and Newark, Newark.
Tessa Walker is a theatre director and dramaturg. Upcoming productions include Biscuits for Breakfast (Hampstead Theatre). She was Associate Director at Hampstead Theatre from 2021 – 2023 where she directed Ravenscourt and Big, Big, Sky. Other recent productions include Run, Rebel (Pilot Theatre, tour), Symphony of Us (Coventry Cathedral, Coventry City of Culture) and The Glad Game (Nottingham Playhouse and tour). As Associate Director at Birmingham Repertory Theatre she directed Bright Places, Jekyll and Hyde, 101 Dalmatians, The Whip Hand, Looking for John, Folk, The Quiet House, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, A Christmas Carol, The Mother, Circles, Back Down, 366 Days of Kindness and How to be a Hero. Other directing includes The Snow Queen (The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff), The Gatekeeper (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Glee Club (Hull Truck), The Company Will Overlook a Moment of Madness, (The National Theatre of Scotland), Dream Pill, Dancing Bears (Soho Theatre), The Red Helicopter (Almeida Theatre), She From the Sea (LIFT), Harm’s Way (The Lowry, Manchester), Black Crows (Arcola Theatre), Orange (Script Cymru), Debris (Theatre503, BAC Critics’ Choice Season, Traverse Edinburgh and Staatstheater Biennale, Germany).
ORANGE TREE THEATRE
LISTINGS
1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 2SA
Box Office: 020 8940 3633 (Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm)
Ticket prices (NO BOOKING FEES)
In person tickets: from £15, prices increase with demand
Under 30s: £15
OT On Screen: From £15
Access: £15
Recipients of Universal Credit / London Ticket Bank Scheme: limited £1 tickets
SEASON AT A GLANCE
MEETINGS
OT On Screen: Tue 14 – Fri 17 Nov
SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER
18 November 2023 – 13 January 2024
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 23 Nov)
Captioned Performance: Tue 12 Dec 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Mon 11 Dec 7.30pm
OT On Screen: Tue 16 – Fri 19 Jan
SHAKESPEARE UP CLOSE: MACBETH and ROMEO AND JULIET
5 – 10 December 2023
Schools tour: 20 – 30 Nov
Schools performances at the OT: 5 – 8 Dec
Public performances at the OT: 9 – 10 Dec
TINY TIM’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
18 December – 6 January 2024
Mon – Sat 11am
Mon, Wed, Fri 2.30pm (no performances Mon 25 Dec, Mon 1 Jan)
NORTHANGER ABBEY
20 January– 24 February 2024
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 25 Jan)
Captioned Performance: Wed 14 Feb 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Tue 13 Feb 7.30pm
OT On Screen: Tue 21 – Fri 24 May 2024
Octagon Theatre Bolton
1 – 23 March 2024
Stephen Joseph Theatre
27 March – 13 April 2024
Theatre by the Lake
27 April – 17 May 2024
FLUTE THEATRE: TWELFTH NIGHT
29 January – 20 February 2024
Mon – Sat: 10.30am
Further summer programming includes:
UNCLE VANYA
2 March – 13 April
TESTMATCH
20 April – 18 May 2024
SUITE IN THREE KEYS
24 May – 6 Jul 2024
Primary Shakespeare: HAMLET
3 June – 5 July 2024 (workshops and performances)
Mon, Tue & Fri
RED SPEEDO
13 Jul – 10 Aug 2024
ABOUT THE ORANGE TREE THEATRE
The Orange Tree (OT) is an award-winning, independent theatre. Recognised as a powerhouse that creates high-quality productions of new and rediscovered plays, it entertains 70,000 people across the UK every year.
The OT’s home in Richmond, South West London, is an intimate theatre with the audience seated all around the stage: watching a performance here is truly a unique experience. We believe in the power of dramatic stories to entertain, thrill and challenge us; plays that enrich our lives by enhancing our understanding of ourselves and each other.
As a registered charity (266128) sitting at the heart of its community, we work with 10,000 people in Richmond and beyond through participatory theatre projects for people of all ages and abilities. Our mission is to enable audiences to experience the next generation of theatre talent, experiment with ground-breaking new drama and explore the plays from the past that inspire the theatre-makers of the present. Operating without regular support from Arts Council England, the OT relies on the support of its audiences and funders to raise £500k a year to create this outstanding work on stage and in the community.
Artistic Director Tom Littler
Executive Director Hanna Streeter
Website orangetreetheatre.co.uk | Email [email protected]
Twitter @OrangeTreeThtr | Facebook/Instagram OrangeTreeTheatre
ABOUT OCTAGON THEATRE
Octagon Theatre Bolton is a regional producing theatre that makes bold, adventurous and popular theatre of the highest quality that is seen locally and nationally. We believe theatre matters because everyone’s story matters. The Octagon inspires engages and entertains thousands every year through theatre and creative activities, contributing to a healthier and happier community. The Octagon reopened in May 2021, following a major redevelopment funded by Bolton Council and Arts Council England and many others. The Octagon receives public funding through Arts Council England, Bolton Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Principal Sponsorship from the University of Bolton. The Octagon was shortlisted for Theatre of the Year at the 2023 The Stage Awards.
Website: https://www.octagon-theatre.co.uk/
ABOUT THE STEPHEN JOSEPH THEATRE
Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre has provided world-class accessible theatre for audiences on the Yorkshire coast since 1955. It’s produced over 700 plays, many of them new – developing new writers and writing was the primary aim of the company’s founder, Stephen Joseph, and it remains one of our core aims. The SJT was the first professional theatre-in-the round in the UK, and is widely known for presenting the world premieres of most of Alan Ayckbourn’s 89 full-length plays. It also has an extensive community programme.
Website: https://sjt.uk.com/
ABOUT THEATRE BY THE LAKE
Theatre by the Lake, described by the New Statesman as “artistically sharp and stunningly situated”, opened in 1999. Born out of Century Theatre’s travelling Blue Box, it was willed into existence by passionate theatre lovers who wanted a permanent home for theatre in Keswick. Theatre by the Lake is idyllically situated a short stroll from Derwentwater amid the magnificent western fells of the Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The theatre has two stages, a 400-seat Main House and 100-seat Studio and presents an annual programme of homemade shows throughout the year, as well as hosting a variety of festivals, visiting companies and community performances, playing to over 120,000 people per year. As Cumbria’s producing theatre, our purpose is to enrich the lives of our local communities. We create and share great theatre, develop and champion talent, and celebrate our place and culture in the work we do across our county and our nation.
Website: https://www.theatrebythelake.com/