Hampstead Theatre today announces casting for the world premiere of Al Blyth’s explosive espionage thriller The Haystack, his first full-length play.
Roxana Silbert makes her directing debut as Hampstead Theatre’s Artistic Director with this fast-paced, topical play, which delves into the intriguing world of GCHQ and examines the human impact of national surveillance. When an investigative journalist unearths a controversial lead, loyalties and ethics are tested to the extreme.
The cast will include Lucy Black as Denise, Oliver Johnstone as Neil, Rona Morison as Cora, Enyi Okoronkwo as Zef and Sarah Woodward as Hannah.
Neil and Zef are two twenty-something computer whizzes with questionable dress sense and a highly developed interest in video games and Netflix. They’re also the UK’s ‘National Defence Information Security Team’ – recruited by GCHQ for their sky-high IQs and ability to work quickly and discreetly, no questions asked.
With unfettered access to the world’s data and infinite powers of electronic intrusion, these unlikely agents are essential cogs in the national security machine. But when their window onto intelligence operations shows them more than they were meant to see, they begin to question their roles in a system whose reach is unlimited but whose safeguards are not…
The Haystack is at Hampstead Theatre 31st January to 7th March 2020.
