Casting for Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet
03 June 2008
David Tennant plays Hamlet in Gregory Doran’s much anticipated new production of Shakespeare’s tragedy in The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. Hamlet will preview from 24 July and runs in repertoire until 15 November 2008.
RSC Chief Associate Director Gregory Doran, who has just opened a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Stratford with the same company of actors who will be performing in Hamlet and later in his production of Love’s Labour’s Lost said:
‘Hamlet is a play that waits for the right actor to come along. This Hamlet will be to some extent who David is. You have to have an actor who can be, as Ophelia describes him, ‘the poet, the soldier, the scholar’. He has to be someone who is charismatic and can be brutal and course, and can be witty and moving and can physically take on the demands of the part. I believe that David’s skills fill all these criteria.’
David Tennant is probably best known for his various television roles, including the title role in Casanova, Blackpool and most recently as The Doctor in Doctor Who for the BBC. His previous work for the RSC includes: The General from America (1996), Laughter in the Dark, Jack Absolute in The Rivals (2000), Romeo in Michael Boyd’s production of Romeo and Juliet (2001) and Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors (2000).
Also making a welcome return to the Company is RSC Honorary Associate, Patrick Stewart, who plays the Ghost and Claudius. He first worked for the company in 1966, and his many plays have included: The Winter’s Tale, Titus Andronicus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The White Guard, The Biko Inquest, Hippolytus, and The Merchant of Venice. He played Enobarbus in Peter Brook’s 1978 production of Antony and Cleopatra (with Alan Howard and Glenda Jackson in the title roles). Patrick’s most recent roles for the RSC were as Antony in Gregory Doran’s Antony and Cleopatra and Prospero in Rupert Goold’s production of The Tempest (both in 2006). He was recently nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Macbeth in Rupert Goold’s Chichester Festival production which transferred from the West End to Broadway earlier this year. His many films include Star Trek and X-Men.
Gertrude is played by Penny Downie, who last year played Penelope in the world premiere of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad for the RSC. Her other work for the Company includes The Prisoner’s Dilemma (2001), Portia in David Thacker’s production of The Merchant of Venice (1994) and Margaret of Anjou in Adrian Noble’s The Plantagenets (1989). She recently played Helen in Scenes from the Back of Beyond at the Royal Court and Wynne in Fiona Buffini’s play, Dinner for the National Theatre. Her extensive television roles include Honor Scammel in two series of New Street Law, six episodes of All About George, Spooks, The Girl in the Café and Poirot. Her films include Stephen Poliakoff’s Food of Love and David Hare’s Wetherby.
Oliver Ford-Davies who will play Polonius, is well known to film, television and theatre audiences. He first worked for the RSC in 1975 when he played roles in Henry IV Parts I and II. His subsequent credits for the company include: Boyet in Love’s Labour’s Lost (1979), Mr Mulligan in The Shadow of a Gunman (1981), Bishop Gardiner in Henry VIII (1983) and Gabriel Utterson in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1991). During the RSC’s Complete Works Festival in 2006 he took part in a reading of One of These Days in The Cube @ the RST. His impressive film career includes Atonement, George Lucas’ Star Wars Trilogy – Episodes I, II and III, Mrs Brown, Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility and In Defence of the Realm. His recent stage work includes Nicholas Hytner’s Much Ado About Nothing and Marianne Elliott’s Saint Joan and Racing Demon for the National Theatre and the title role in King Lear, Menenius in Coriolanus, the Duke of York in Richard II and Count Shabielski in Ivanov – all directed by Jonathan Kent for the Almeida Theatre. He will soon be seen on television in Margaret Thatcher – The Long Walk to Finchley.
John Woodvine returns to the company to play the Player King. John’s many RSC credits include: Banquo in Macbeth (1977), Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Sir John Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1979), The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby (1980 – 82 and 1987) on stage and for TV, Jacques in Steven Pimlott’s As You Like It (1996), Don Carlos and Flavisu in Gregory Doran’s Timon of Athens (1999). Other stage work includes: Pravda for Chichester Festival Theatre, Roxana Silbert’s Last of the Blonde Bombshells at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Life after Life for the National Theatre. Amongst his television credits are: The Trial of Tony Blair, Rome, Shameless, Peter Ackroyd’s London and Bob and Rose.
Mariah Gale plays Ophelia. Mariah is Peaseblossom in Doran’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, In 2006, during the RSC’s Complete Works Festival, she played Miranda in Rupert Goold’s production of The Tempest, Octavia in Antony and Cleopatra and Portia in Julius Caesar.
Also in the ensemble are: David Ajala (Reynaldo), Sam Alexander (Rosencrantz and Second Gravedigger), Edward Bennett (Laertes), Ricky Champ (Lucianus) Ewen Cummins (Barnardo), Robert Curtis (Franciso), Tom Davey (Guildenstern), Peter De Jersey (Horatio), Samuel Dutton (Lord) Ryan Gage (Oscric), Mark Hadfield (Gravedigger), Jim Hooper (Priest), Keith Osborn (Marcellus), Roderick Smith (Lord and Captain), Andrea Harris (Lady), Riann Steele (Lady) and Zoe Thorne (Lady and Player).
Robert Jones is designing the production, lighting is by Tim Mitchell, music by Paul Englishby, sound by Jeremy Dunn, movement by Michael Ashcroft and fights by Terry King.
Further information
Hamlet
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Plays in repertoire from 24 July – 15 November 2008
Press Night: Tuesday 5 August, 7pm
Box Office 0844 800 1110
www.rsc.org.uk
For more information please contact;
Nada Zakula
RSC Press Office
01789 412622
nada.zakula@rsc.org.uk
For regional enquiries and press tickets please contact;
Dean Asker
RSC Press Office
01789 412660
dean.asker@rsc.org.uk
Notes to editors
There is an image of David Tennant by Jillian Edelstein on www.epo-online.com
Production images will be available on EPO at the end of July.
