ice&fire has announced the cast for its new production A Fine Idea, which premieres at Arcola Theatre in June.
Written by Christine Bacon and directed by Charlotte Westenra, the play runs from 11 June to 4 July 2026, with a press performance on Monday 15 June at 7pm.
The cast includes Grace Saif as Kala, Ella Bryant as Jo in her professional stage debut, Georgina Rich as Laura / Christine and Kevin Trainor as Elio.
Spanning continents and decades, A Fine Idea journeys from post-war idealism to the overlapping crises of today, interrogating the history of aid, power and well-meaning intervention.
Inspired by political economist Jason Hickel’s bestselling book The Divide, the play asks whether society truly wants to change global inequality or simply likes the idea of helping.
Set in 2026, the story follows Jo, a career aid worker who has spent years delivering support across the globe and believing passionately in the system she works within.
When she meets an activist risking everything for her nation’s future, Jo is forced to confront the possibility that the very structures she trusts may be part of the problem.
Christine Bacon, writer and co-Artistic Director of ice&fire, said:
“At ice&fire we are motivated by working towards a world where human rights matter. Reading The Divide essentially re-wired my brain and left me reeling with the scale of global inequality, but also with my own ignorance about the forces behind it. Bringing this story to the stage invites a non-specialist audience into that expansive conversation and into a story that challenges us to rethink some of our culture’s most widely held beliefs about charity and justice.”
Jason Hickel added:
“I wrote The Divide to tell the story of anti-colonial struggle – a 500-year fight for our collective humanity, which continues to this very day. I’m thrilled to see this story take shape now in theatre, bringing life and texture to a narrative that words alone can never hope to capture.”
The creative team includes set designer Georgia Wilmot, costume designer Emma Williams, lighting designer Hartley Kemp, sound designer Tom Smith and composer Jonny Berliner, alongside a wider team of consultants and associates.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
