Tim Carroll makes RSC debut to direct The Merchant of Venice for the RSC
23 January 2008
Tim Carroll, who began his career with English Shakespeare Company and is currently associate director of Shakespeare’s Globe in London, makes his RSC debut to direct a new production of The Merchant of Venice in The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Tim has directed award-winning productions at the Globe (Twelfth Night in 2002 won the Evening Standard, Time Out, Critics’ Circle and Olivier Awards and Richard II won the Jujamcyn Award in 2003). Since the 1990s he has directed many productions abroad, especially in Hungary where his shows have included; The Clearing, Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards, The Duchess of Malfi and Hamlet, the last of which opened in 2005 and is still enjoying a popular run. In 2004 he directed The Tempest at the Teatro Sao Luiz, Lisbon, and he has been invited to direct plays in Romania, Hungary and New Zealand. Tim Carroll is also a prominent opera director and is founding director of The Factory. His production of Hamlet for Foundry was premiered in 2007.
Angus Wright plays Shylock in Carroll’s production. Angus last worked for the RSC in 1999 when he played Clive in Stephen Poliakoff’s Talk of the City. His recent work includes Muller in War Horse, Warwick in Saint Joan, Doctor Dorn in The Seagull, A Dream Play and Nick Hytner’s Stuff Happens for the National Theatre. His television work includes Waking the Dead, Hotel Babylon and Cambridge Spies.
Georgina Rich joins the RSC to play Portia. In 2006, Georgina played Baby in the stage version of Dirty Dancing in the West End. Her other theatre work includes Cordelia in Edward Bond’s Lear directed by Jonathan Kent and Hero in Josie Rourke’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, both at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Her TV work includes The Catherine Tate Show and Vrina in Tynan – in Praise of Hardcore for BBC4.
Amara Karan, who plays Jessica, plays Peaches in the new film St Trinian's which also stars Rupert Everett and Colin Firth.
Jack Laskey plays Bassanio. His previous theatre credits include: The Masque of the Red Death for Punchdrunk, In Extremis, In Extremis Revival and Antony and Cleopatra for The Globe, the title role in Hamlet at the Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet for Blood in the Alley and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet for Vienna’s English Theatre.
Antonio is played by James Garnon, who recently played Cheswick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville at Bristol Old Vic, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Mercucio in Romeo and Juliet (both directed by Tim Carroll).
Larrington Walker, who plays Old Gobbo played Pastor Brown in the musical, Daddy Cool in the West End, Gepetto in Pinocchio at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, Kofi Anna in Nicholas Hytner’s Stuff Happens for the National Theatre and Putswa in Janet Suzman’s The Free State.
The cast also includes: Arsher Ali (Morocco), Will Beck (Gobbo), Keir Charles (Solanio), John Paul Connolly (Gratiano), Simon Darwen (Salerio), Adrian DeCosta, Leonard Fenton (Duke of Venice), Sean Kearns (Arragon), Will Sharpe, Peter Shorey (Tubal), Jade Anouka and Amanda Hadingue (Nerissa).
Members of this acting company are also in rehearsal for Conall Morrison’s production of The Taming of the Shrew which opens on 24 April 2008.
Joining Tim Carroll on the creative team are: Laura Hopkins (designer), Jon Clark (lighting), Jon Boden (music) and Sian Williams (movement).
Jon Boden is an award-winning performer and composer of folk music, and is renowned for his work with John Spiers and their band Bellowhead. His previous theatre scores include Macbeth for Cambridge Arts, Jason and the Argonauts for Battersea Arts Centre and Robin Hood for Creation Theatre, Oxford.
Further information
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Plays in repertoire from 3 April – 27 September 2008
Press Night: Thursday 10 April, 7pm
Box Office 0844 800 1110, www.rsc.org.uk
For more information and interviews contact:
Nada Zakula
01789 412622
nada.zakula@rsc.org.uk
or
Philippa Harland
0207 845 0512
philippa.harland@rsc.org.uk
For press tickets or regional enquiries please contact Dean Asker on 01789 412660 or dean.asker@rsc.org.uk
Images will be available from www.epo-online.com in late April/early May 2008.
