The cast has been announced for Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds’ much-anticipated upcoming production of The Children, alongside the previously announced Imogen Stubbs.
Lucy Kirkwood’s post-apocalyptic drama was hailed by The Guardian as one of the top three plays in their ‘Best Theatre Shows of the 21st Century’, following two retired nuclear scientists whose isolated life by the sea is disrupted by an old friend with a frightening request.
Gillian Bevan takes on the role of Hazel, who lives with her husband in a remote cottage on the British coast, as the world outside deals with a major disaster at a nuclear power station. Bevan’s extensive theatre work includes Into The Woods (Theatre Royal Bath), Hamlet (The Royal Exchange) and Billy Elliott (West End), as well as three years with Alan Ayckbourn’s Theatre-in-the-Round. Bevan’s screen work includes Teachers and The Windsors (Channel 4), and Holby City (BBC).
Playing alongside Bevan as her husband Robin is Michael Higgs (Agatha Raisin, Acorn TV, Sky One; Silent Witness, BBC One; Supacell, Netflix), whose stage work includes The Woman in Black and The Blue Room on the West End, and The Homecoming, Royal Exchange.
Renowned actor and writer Stubbs was previously announced as Rose, a retired nuclear scientist who challenges her friends to consider the impact of their past actions on the world. Stubbs is known for her work on screen (Twelfth Night, Entertainment Film; Sense & Sensibility, Columbia Pictures; Jack and Sarah, Canal+) and stage (Clybourne Park, Park Theatre; The Be All and End All, York Theatre Royal; Strangers on a Train, Gielgud Theatre), and for her first play We Happy Few (Gielgud Theatre).
Kirkwood’s acclaimed, suspense-filled drama The Children is the latest production to be part of Theatre Royal’s commitment to presenting the best plays of the last 10 years, so Bury St Edmunds audiences can enjoy excellent productions in their local theatre.
Director Owen Calvert-Lyons comments, We are delighted to be producing The Children this spring. By working with actors of this calibre, who have a true passion for supporting regional theatre, we are able to create London quality theatre right here in Bury St Edmunds. Our audiences will have the extraordinary opportunity to see actors of this standard in the intimate setting of their local theatre. Lucy Kirkwood’s play is thought to be one of the best plays written in the last ten years and so with such an incredible cast, who will bring a wealth of experience and skill to the rehearsal room, our Suffolk audiences are in for a treat!
The Children is at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds Friday 10th – Saturday 25th March, 2023.
