Janie Dee will star in the Built By Barn world premiere of A Role To Die For, a brand-new play written by Jordan Waller and directed by Olivier Award winning Derek Bond. A Role To Die For will open on Thursday 30 January 2025 and run until Saturday 15 March 2025, with a national press performance on Tuesday 4 February 2025.
Deborah has a problem. She’s responsible for casting the most famous role in Hollywood but the actor she chooses suddenly withdraws the day before the announcement. As the film starts shooting straight away, time is short to find a replacement. Her cousin wants to sell out, her son insists on going woke, and all she yearns for is the warm glow of Sean Connery’s unbeatable charm.
A Role to Die For is a wickedly funny new play about Hollywood’s most secretive casting..
Janie Dee’s numerous stage credits include Muriel Banks in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Lambert Productions, Various roles in Old Friends at Gielgud Theatre, Eileen Hurlie in The Motive and The Cue at The National Theatre and Hilary in The Grass Is Greener at Theatre Royal Windsor, will star as ‘Deborah’.
Jordan Waller said, “I am over the moon that Janie Dee will be leading this production: she is truly a star to die for, and I can’t wait to see her shine.”
Director Derek Bond said, “I’m thrilled to be working with Janie: in musicals or plays, Janie is simply one of the best actors in the country. I can’t wait to see her get her teeth into this.”
A Role To Die For is written by Jordan Waller, directed by Olivier Award Winning Derek Bond with design from Cory Shipp.
Further casting and creative team to be announced.
Chief Executive and Artistic Director Iwan Lewis and Executive Director and Producer Liam McMullan said, “We at the Barn Theatre have been huge admirers of Janie Dee’s extraordinary talent for many years and bringing her to our stage has been a long-held dream. To have her play Deborah in A Role to Die For is an incredible honour and an exciting moment for our 2025 season. Janie is one of the greatest actors of her generation, and we urge our audiences not to miss this opportunity to see her unparalleled talent up close. This will be a performance to remember, and we couldn’t be prouder to start 2025 with her at the helm.”
A Role To Die For is a Built by Barn production in association with Simon Friend Entertainment and Bob & Co.
Since launching in 2018, the Barn Theatre has gained national recognition having produced over 20 Built by Barn shows and being awarded The Stage Awards’ Best Fringe Theatre of the Year Award 2019. In 2023, the theatre celebrated its fifth anniversary with a season that included world premieres of Simon Reade’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Waiting For Anya, Jonathan Lynn’s final instalment of his classic series I’m Sorry Prime Minister, I Can’t Quite Remember, as well as a reimagined revival production of the musical Once and the world premiere of a musical adaptation of Treasure Island. 2024 highlights have included Sherlock Holmes and the Whitechapel Fiend, Constellations, Midsummer, Stones in His Pockets, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Room 13 and The Three Musketeers: Trois.
