Royal & Derngate Northampton has announced full casting for the world premiere of Top Gs Like Me, a bold new play by Samson Hawkins (Village Idiot), directed by Jesse Jones (Education, Education, Education). The production runs from 23 February to 7 March 2026, with Press Night on 26 February.
The auditorium will be transformed into a skatepark for this immersive staging, seating audiences in the round. The play explores the influence of online culture, the pull of toxic masculinity and the search for identity in the digital age, centring on the dangerous relationships young people form with algorithms and influencers.
The cast includes Fanta Barrie (The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs), Emily Coates (Ladhood), Danny Hatchard (EastEnders), Daniel Rainford (The Mousetrap), Finn Samuels (Twisted! The Musical) and David Schaal (The Inbetweeners). They will be joined by a 25-strong community chorus of acting students from the University of Northampton, representing the online world on stage.
Jesse Jones, Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate, said:
“It brings me so much pride to be platforming urgent new writing on our largest stage, transforming our Derngate auditorium into Northampton’s Radlands Plaza skatepark. Samson’s bitingly funny play doesn’t pull any punches. It is provocative and painfully funny, bringing the addictive and dark world of social media onto the stage.”
The creative team includes Rebecca Brower (Set & Costume Design), Rory Beaton (Lighting Design), Benjamin Grant (Sound Design) and Monica Nicolaides (Movement Direction).
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
