Director of Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Sam Hodges today announces the full cast for his production of Howard Brenton’s The Shadow Factory which returns to celebrate NST City’s first anniversary after opening the space with a sell-out run last year.
The cast includes Denise Black (Lady Cooper/Ma Dimmock), Bethan Cullinane (Jackie Dimmock), Joe Tracini (Len Gooch) and Michael Fenton Stevens (Lord Beaverbrook) joining returning cast members David Birrell (Fred Dimmock/Hugh Downing), Catherine Cusack (Lil Dimmock/Sylvia Meinster) and Shala Nyx (Polly Stride).
Autumn 1940. The Battle of Britain rages. Southampton is home to our only hope of victory: the Spitfire. But when the Luftwaffe drops 2,300 bombs in three devastating raids, the city goes up in flames and the Woolston Supermarine Spitfire factory is destroyed.
Jackie is the third generation of Dimmock at her family-run laundry. Polly is the first and only draughtswoman in the Spitfire design office. How will each woman forge her own path in this evolving landscape? From the ashes, a story of chaos, courage and community spirit emerges.
One of Britain’s greatest living playwrights, Hampshire-born Howard Brenton tells the remarkable and little-known story of how Southampton stepped up when the chips were down.
Critically acclaimed, this sell out smash hit features a stellar cast supported by a 25-strong community company made up of Southampton residents. The Shadow Factory returns to celebrate the first birthday of Southampton’s brand-new theatre NST City.
The production opens on 1 February, with previews from 30 January, and runs until 2 March.
